Dancing In The Shadows
by Llttlelie
Summary: "It was among public knowledge that since last year something was going on in the city of Paris. People seemed to vanish into thin air, and neither the police nor the families could explain why. There was no reason, no clues, no ransom" Paris has fallen into dark times, and only if Creation and Destruction work together we'll be able to see the light.
1. This is right where it begins

**Ch. 1. This is right where it begins**

"I might have discovered where Nino has been these two months."

Marinette choked, as the tea she was drinking went to the wrong side and coughed painfully, trying to get the hot liquid out of her lungs. Once she recovered, she stared at Alya disbelieving.

"You _had_ to tell me this while I was drinking, right? It's not like we've been sitting here for at least twenty minutes."

Alya added sugar and stirred her coffee with a metal spoon; then, she brought the porcelain cup to her lips and took a small sip of the dark breakage. It still tasted too bitter for her liking. She added another spoonful of sugar.

"... I guess I was mustering up my courage. Now that I said it it's become real, I can't take it back."

Marinette wasn't used to see this Alya. Alya was a really chipper and energetic woman at her last year of Journalism, and, quite frankly, she was the best of her promotion. She was strong-willed and had good nose for a scoop, perfect for her speciality, investigative journalism.

That was not the woman sitting in front of her.

Alya and she had met in middle school, and since then they had been inseparable. She had been an overflowing fountain of moral support in all those awkward teenage years, so it pained Marinette to see the brunette so... broken.

It all was because of those blasted disappearances. It was among public knowledge that since last year something was going on in the city of Paris. People seemed to vanish into thin air, and neither the police nor the families could explain why. There was no reason, no clues, no ransom; there was nothing that connected the victims, they were of a disparity of ages and social classes... It was almost as if they just stopped existing.

Nino had been one of them. He and Alya had begun dating after finishing their _Lycée_. They had met one evening at her home, and after dinner Nino decided to return to his home instead of staying for the night. Alya insisted him to stay at her place, but he patiently convinced her otherwise - she had a big presentation the day after, and he didn't want to be a nuisance and get her too tired for the day after, so he pecked her cheek and bid her goodbye, throwing her a lopsided grin as he closed the door behind him.

That had been the last time he had been seen.

Marinette knew Alya blamed herself. When the news about his disappearance spread, they had spent three days in her room, Marinette trying to make her eat while she wailed and shouted until her throat was sore things like 'I should have made him stay.' or 'If only he wasn't so fucking chivalrous he wouldn't be gone.', tears never stopping flowing from her eyes

The night of the third day, Alya stepped out of her room with her face clean and her puffy eyes gleaming with determination. She wordlessly cleared what she playfully called her 'thinking board' – _Of course I have a thinking board, Mari._ She would sometimes tease, _It will be like all those cop series, with all their clues connected with a red string and all –_ and switched on her laptop, running through every news webpage she could think of, and writing down her findings on her worn-out leather notebook.

Since then, Marinette had made sure to visit her at least once a day, making sure she didn't forget to eat or shower, but Alya barely acknowledged her – more like didn't notice, as engrossed as she was in her investigation. As time went by, she could see the number of annotations made in the white board increased in number, along with the question marks beside each one.

But Marinette couldn't shunt off from her life, and she hadn't visited her for a week. She'd had to complete a project for the designing school. She had felt a little bit guilty about it, but she instead was surprised to receive a call from her best friend, the girl who had barely spoken to anyone in all this time, asking to meet her in her parent's bakery.

And that was where they were at the moment. Marinette took a deep breath and took another sip from her Earl Grey.

"What did you find?"

Alya took out her notebook and absentmindedly turned the scribbled pages. "A possible connection. You see, I have been looking through all the declarations of familiars and witnesses to the Police and-"

"Wait a second. You have looked into the Police records? How did you even manage to do that? Is that even legal?"

She hesitated. "... maybe not. It's not important-"

"The hell it's not important! Alya, if you're going into illegal shit and catch you I swear-"

She raised her hands at her. "Just let me finish! Let's ignore for a bit how I managed to bump into the Police archives and focus on the main issue, okay? As I was saying, in some witness' declarations there were weird things that picked up my interest."

Marinette forced herself to calm down. "And what was it?"

"There were strange sightings of weird-looking people around the places where it happened, and one homeless guy affirmed to have seen a man with dark wings directly taking the victim with him."

"Dark wings?" Marinette asked, frowning.

Alya nodded and her fingers wandered through her notebook's pages. She opened it wider at a specific one and showed her. It was a draft of a man with what looked an Elvis updo and weird-shaped wings.

She handed the notebook to her. "That was how it looked like, at least from what I can extract from the declaration."

She eyed the drawing and raised an eyebrow. "I'll admit it's a bit weird. How did the Police react to that?"

"They didn't believe him, of course." She scoffed. "They pegged him as an alcoholic and archived it directly, without taking it into consideration. I swear to god, even if it's hard to believe, they should have at least contrasted the story before discarding it. What do they teach them in the Police Academy nowadays?"

Marinette fiddled nervously with a tissue paper as all the information downed on her. She looked at the journalist to be and caught a glimpse of something she hadn't seen in a while: her eyes, despite tired, had regained some of that intelligent spark that she got when she discovered something juicy, and Marinette hadn't realised until now how much she had missed her.

"While all this seems like a good start, I don't see how that can bring you to Nino's whereabouts."

Her eyes glinted. "Oh, Marinette, but this isn't the only thing I've got. I've managed to narrow my search down to three addresses."

"What!? How!?"

"The details are both on my notebook and on my thinking board, but after reading all those declarations, starting with the people who saw those strange guys, I've noticed there was a pattern. All those happenstances, they seemed to take place all around Paris, right? That's where we got it wrong. More than half of the disappearances are connected to the west area of the city."

It made sense. No crime organisation centred in kidnapping could target a whole city, they had to favour some places, possibly near their safe place. Still, there were some loose threads.

"But what about the other ones? I mean, Nino wasn't even near to the west part that night."

"That's what makes it interesting, Marinette, because there is a quick way to get around Paris without being seen. Something no one thinks about, but once you know your way around, it's the perfect hiding place." Alya paused, and looked at Marinette in the eye. "The catacombs."

"T-the catacombs? The ones under the city?"

"The same ones. Based on the witnesses' declarations, I can place every one of the disappearances near one entrance. Think about it! It makes so much sense!"

"Aren't they supposed to be heavily guarded or something?"

Alya shut off the notebook and drowned her coffee in one gulp. "That's what I plan to find out. My theory is that whoever is behind this mess has their haven somewhere around the West side of Paris, but they use the catacombs to move around freely."

Marinette grabbed her friend's arm and made a face. "Alya please don't rush into this on your own. I know you want to find Nino, but this is _dangerous_." She hissed. "Not only you will venture into the catacombs alone, risking getting yourself dead but if you're indeed correct, you will face a criminal organisation on your own. Please tell the police about it."

"There is no use. As if they would believe my story. They have access to every attestation, and if they haven't reached to the same conclusion as me there must be a reason why. Moreover, if I did tell them, I would have to explain why I had access to the Police archives in the first place, something I'm not willing to do."

Marinette still looked hesitant and didn't let go of her arm. Alya's gaze softened and placed one of her hands on top of hers, making her look at her.

"Marinette, honey, I know it's dangerous, but I have to do this. I need to know if my crazy theories make sense or if I'm just wasting my time like an idiot. I-I need Nino to come back to me, and I can't stay still and let the authorities deal with it, because they're too worried about the Bourgeois bitch to deal with a random guy that has managed to get kidnapped too. I-"

Her voice broke, and petite tears began falling from her eyes. She bit her quivering lip to try to regain her composure, but Marinette knew better than that.

"... I know. You have been there for me all this years, full of crazy ideas and stupid overthinking, so I guess it's my turn now. I know I won't be able to stop you anyway, and I am a bit curious about those weird-looking men... So yeah, go for it." Before Alya could cheer, she raised her hand to stop her. "I just have one request."

"Anything you want, Mari."

"I need to make sure you are alright, so I want you to call me every 20 minutes and update your status to me. And whenever it becomes dangerous, whether it's those men or a drunkard, you _come back home_. No exceptions. Do we have a deal?"

"Of course! Good thing I happened to buy this signal enhancer the other day, right?" She winked at the startled look on her face.

Marinette narrowed her eyes. "You had all this planned, didn't you?"

"Of course. I'm a journalist; I need to have every possible outcome planned." Her tone became more serious. "Either way, I am glad to have your support, Mari. I was secretly thrown off by spending my night snooping around there alone."

"What are best friends for? Just… take care of yourself, okay?"

She nodded. "I'll be careful, I promise. Nino would get so mad at me if I got myself killed for nothing. I'll call you as soon as I get there, okay?"

Marinette nodded mutely and released Alya's arm. Said girl kissed her cheek and grabbed her notebook before leaving the _boulangerie_. She sighed and rested her head on her hands, massaging an incoming headache.

A plate of cookies was placed in front of her, and Marinette casted her eyes down, then up to see her mother looking at the door worriedly.

"Is everything alright, _mon petite chou_? How's Alya doing?"

"She... she's getting there, _maman_. You know how she is; she's venting her frustration through investigating endlessly while getting around the fact that Nino isn't currently here. She's trying to find him."

"But it's dangerous to go alone out there! What if she gets kidnapped too?"

She sighed and took a bite of the chocolate cookie. "That's what worries me the most. She has promised me to stay out of trouble and call me repeatedly, but still…"

"You still worry. I will pray to the spirits of our family for her protection. The Cheng family has had some really powerful ancestors, I'm sure they will lend their prowess to aid a family's friend."

 _I really hope so, maman_ ; Marinette thought as she took the last sip of her already cold tea.

* * *

It was exactly 10:24 PM, and Marinette couldn't be more nervous about it. Alya had called telling her she had just arrived to the first of her addresses, and she was going to snoop around a bit, something the dark-haired girl didn't like at all, if she was being honest. Her thumbnail had already suffered from it, and her index finger was near to fall into the same doom.

Why hadn't she asked for the address in the first hand? Why hadn't she accompanied her? Oh, right, because she was a coward. But Alya was her friend, she would put her life in line for her, so why hadn't she thought of that before?

Screw her index finger.

She tried to finish her commissions to take her mind out of it, but every seam she made was lopsided and awkward, and she had to redo the whole piece. After four failed attempts, she dropped the cloth huffing. Tonight was no night for sewing.

At 10:32, she switched on her laptop, choosing a random film from her To-watch list and playing it, but she lost her focus only three minutes after starting it. She kept throwing side-glances at her phone, praying for time to go faster, and when the clock finally turned into 10:40 PM and the screen flashed, she bolted and grabbed the device, answering the call immediately.

"Alya! How are you?"

The journalist's voice came in hushed tones. _"A bit creeped out, but okay. Haven't found any clue so far, just two drunkards fighting for a bench."_

Marinette gave her other thumbnail a go. "Alya, please, this is crazy. Come back home and we'll go together tomorrow night. I don't want you there alone."

"… _I will have another look around, and if I don't find anything I'll go back, okay? I still haven't found the blasted entrance to the tunnels. How do you hide a hole so- wait. What is that?"_

"What? What is it?"

" _I think I found the entrance? I'm not sure, but I'm going to check out. I'll call you if something happens, alright?"_

"Wait- Alya!"

It was no use, as the other girl had hung up. Marinette let out a wavering breath and placed the phone in the table, in front of her. She didn't even try to distract herself from it, and stayed still looking at it, waiting for her call. She knew it was better if she didn't call until 11 o'clock, but that didn't stop her from watching the mobile phone closely.

The moon was beautiful that night, Marinette dully noted. It was good; that meant Alya had more natural illumination and she wouldn't need to depend so much of her camera flash to see where she was going, that was until she went inside a building. That meant she would have enough batteries to call her if something went wrong. Something that she hoped it wouldn't happen.

When her phone rang again at 11:58, she shrieked. She answered the call as quickly as she could, and was only met with quickening panting.

"Alya! What is it!?" She asked, her grip tight on the device.

" _I found the entrance."_ She explained in a hurried voice. _"… and one person came out of it. It was the one with the wings, Marinette. I-I was right."_

"Never mind that! Alya, this is crucial. Did he see you!?"

"… _I don't think so, but I'm not su- crap, he's coming."_ She fell silent, and Marinette could pick up heavy steps from the other line. Suddenly Alya whispered again, fear tinting her voice. _"He's looking for me, Mari. H-how did he see me?"_

"Alya, please, don't speak." She pleaded and stood up, grabbing her keys and rushing outside her apartment. "Try to be as silent as possible, and whatever you do, don't end the call. Now, I just want you to say something, nothing else. Where are you?"

" _Chemin de fer de Petite Ceinture,_ _Rive Gauche, near the_ _Maison Blanche metro entrance, at the dead end between a butcher shop and a clothes shop."_

"Okay, I'm going. Remember, don't speak and keep the call running. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Marinette connected her headphones to her phone and placed it inside her purse. She then began running to where Alya had told her, as she luckily knew how to get there. Years of working delivering pastries for her parents made her learn more or less the distribution of the city, and fortunately, she had made some trips around _Maison Blanche_ in the past.

She crossed the Seine in record time, people looking weirdly at her, but she didn't care at the moment, her sole mind focused on finding Alya. She couldn't hear anything from the other end of the call, only heavy breathing and some footsteps once or twice. That calmed her nerves to some extent.

She was less than 300 metres away when Alya cursed.

" _Crap, Marinette, he's seen me. I'll go for it and try to escape."_

"Shit, Alya, no! Don't do it! I'm almost there!"

She heard a scream from the other side of the line and a loud crashing sound before the call ended. Marinette raised her head to the headphone, trying to hear something to no avail, and reached for her phone to call her again. There was no answer.

"Crap!"

She ran with all her might to the metro entrance and looked wildly to that dead-end Alya had described. She spotted it quickly, and rushed to the entrance.

What she saw there froze her blood. Standing at the moonlight and slightly shadowed was a man with broad shoulders wearing a red and black spandex suit. From his back, two big wings sprout, and a white bow rested between his shoulder blades. But what frightened her the most was the unconscious girl in his arms.

Fear paralyzed her, and the only thing she could do was let her knees buckle and fall to the floor, her body conveniently hid behind some wooden crates.

"You should return to the headquarters, Dark Cupid. Hawkmoth is waiting for you." A cold masculine voice said.

" _Chat Noir._ " The other one, Dark Cupid, she supposed, hissed. "What is Agent Zero doing in the mortal realm? I thought you didn't do field work. Actually, I didn't think you did anything at all."

Marinette, meanwhile, clutched her ears with her hands, not being able to do anything else.

"I often do as I please, but when Hawkmoth gives a direct order, I tend to follow them. I would too if I were you, you don't want to break his elder heart."

"Ha, ha. Very funny." He scoffed. "Do you know why is he in such a rush?"

Marinette could imagine the mysterious person shrugging. "He's not very happy with your performance these days. Someone saw you taking the last one, and that's something he won't tolerate, not now that the Operation Akuma is about to start. He wants to make sure you deliver this one correctly."

Dark Cupid cursed. "A guy messes up once and you will be reminded all your fucking life. I'm going, for fuck's sake. Seeing you is always a bad omen, Chat Noir."

"I loathe you too, _Agent Twenty-four_." Chat Noir quipped.

"Shut up if you don't want an arrow up your ass." Suddenly, she heard something sounding like an automatic door opening, and the heavy footsteps of the man carrying Alya changed into something more echo-y. "See you around, crappy cat."

"I doubt it. I'm not the one responsible of changing diapers."

 _NONONONONO they're taking Alya away!_ Marinette screamed inside her head, but her legs remained as stiff as before. She lowered her trembling hands and hit them repeatedly, but she couldn't feel a thing. She proceeded to scratch them, but even if she could see pink marks standing up she couldn't feel them.

She buried her clouded eyes in her knees and gripped her trembling body tightly. They were taking her best friend away from her and she wasn't doing anything. Why was she so weak? Why was Alya and not her the one taken? She knew Alya would fight with claws and teeth to free her, so why was she being useless?

She wanted to fight. She wanted to stand up and free her. She wanted to have the strength to get Nino back and heal Alya's heart. She wanted to be able to return every son, father, friend, to their respective relatives and let Paris breathe in relief once again.

She wanted to have the courage she didn't have but longed for.

 _Is that what you want?_ A soft voice whispered in her head.

"Yes." She muttered aloud.

 _What would you do to have this power?_

"Everything."

 _Would you face the worst enemy the humanity has confronted on your own?_

"Yes."

 _Then, open your eyes, Marinette._

She did. When she raised her head, a red floating creature greeted her, a serious expression on her face.

"Don't worry, they are gone. We can speak, Marinette."

"What are you?" She whispered, torn between being afraid or shocked.

"My name is Tikki and I'm a Kwami, otherwise known as the God of Creation and Fortune. The pleading of your family spirits and the crying of your soul summoned me."

Her eyes overflowed with tears again and she bit her lower lip to stop it from quivering so much. "Please, Tikki, help me. Th-they've taking my best friend a-and I couldn't d-do anything and I'm such a bad friend for not stepping up and if she knew I just stood there she would hate me-"

The red Kwami placed her hand on her cheek, "Marinette, stop. There was nothing you could do. Those are powerful people, and no civilian has the strength to face an Akumatised person."

"Akumatised?"

"Dark Cupid was one of them. He's been possessed by a man named Hawkmoth in exchange of inhuman powers. He's most possibly one of the missing victims."

Marinette's eyes widened at her words. Possessed people? Inhuman powers? This was crazy. She shouldn't believe any of this, but she had seen how those wings moved by themselves, so there was no denying in there. Suddenly a thought popped up.

"Wait, so you're saying that someone named Hawkmoth is taking people from the streets and controlling them? Does it mean he's going to control Alya too?" Tikki nodded in affirmation. "Then she's in danger! We need to get her before she is possessed!"

"Marinette, stop for a second and listen to me. There is a way to break Hawkmoth's control."

"How?"

Tikki rested on her knees. "His power centres in the control through possession of inanimate objects dear to the victim, and he does it by the insertion of a black butterfly infused with his power called Akuma. So if you break the object containing the Akuma, it will be freed and could be purified. That's where you come in."

"Me? H-how?"

"By becoming Ladybug. As a god, I have a lot of power, but I can't face this enemy alone. I will lend you my powers to fight those Akuma and purifying them before this matter takes out of hand."

"Y-you want me to become some kind of superhero?"

"Yes."

She shook her head violently. "I can't. I am no superhero material. I'm just twenty! I can barely manage with my daily responsibilities, now you want me to become some kind of Paris vigilante?"

"I have been searching for a kindred soul to lend my powers to, and you're perfect. You're loyal, caring, you put the security of others in front of yourself and have a brave soul. I have been waiting for you, Marinette."

"B-but I'm not any of that! I am a coward! I couldn't move a muscle when they were taking Alya, I was quivering in fear! I can't be that person you see me as."

"Marinette, there is a lesson that I want to share with you. Bravery isn't being fearless, as fearless people don't have anything to lose. Bravery is to acknowledge your fears and surpass them. You now know you fret; let me help you to overcome them. Become Ladybug and fulfil your deepest wishes."

Marinette clutched her hair tightly, a million of thoughts swirling inside her head, and Tikki let her. She was terrified. She felt as if suddenly the weight of the world had been put on her shoulders, and she didn't see herself capable of overcoming it.

But who would save Alya otherwise? Who would save everyone that was being controlled by Hawkmoth then? Tikki was literally giving her the opportunity to be what she had been too afraid to be, would she be capable of turning her down, when every inhabitant of Paris was at stake?

She realized she had already known the answer for a while, but didn't want to admit it until then.

She let go of the tight clutch on her bangs and cradled the red spirit in her hands before standing up. Her face shone with resolution, and she stared down at the Kwami with deep conviction.

"I-I'll do it. I'll become Ladybug. How do I do it?"

Tikki smiled sweetly and put her palms together in glee. "You just have to open the box inside your purse."

She frowned at her words, but nonetheless opened her purse in confusion. Inside rested a wooden box that she was certain it hadn't been there before, red Chinese carvings on it.

"How- you know what? Never mind." Tikki giggled and Marinette opened the box, only to find a pair of black earrings inside it. She looked back at the red god dubious. "How is this going to help me?"

"Those are a Miraculous. They are the link between a human and a Kwami, and they will allow me to lend you my powers. Why don't you try them on?"

She did just that and looked at her expectantly. "Now, to summon our power you have to say 'Spots on', and you will become Ladybug. You will have the power of creation, and with your Lucky Charm you will be able to summon objects that will aid you in your fight. You will be able to cleanse Akumas, and with the Miraculous cure you will restore any damage an Akuma has produced. Are you getting it so far?"

"I-I think so. It's going a bit too fast for my tastes, though."

"Try to transform now, you'll understand it better inside the suit."

"Okay. So I just say Spots on and-"

Suddenly, a pink light engulfed her, and her body covered with a red polka-dotted suit. When the light faded out, she looked at herself in surprise.

"I… wasn't expecting that. Tikki? Where are you?"

 _Inside your Miraculous, silly._ Marinette could hear giggling coming from her earrings, _did you forget already what I told you?_

"I guess not." She looked down at her hips, where a round-shaped object was resting. She untied it and examined it with confusion "And what's this yoyo thingy?"

 _It's your weapon, with it you can- Marinette, get cover. Someone is coming out of the tunnels._

She instinctively threw her yoyo to the nearest lamppost and pulled herself out of the way. Hidden in the rooftop of the building, she saw as a woman wearing an excessive amount of pink and a man wearing a black leather suit came out to the light.

"And why should I be guarding this hellhole in the first place?" The woman whined.

The man spoke up, and she recognized that cold voice instantly. It was Chat Noir. "Dark Cupid is delivering to the Master, and you were the nearest to the exit."

"Humph, whatever. Now shoo kitty cat, before I turn you into something of better tastes."

He took out a metal cylinder from his back and extended it, vaulting to the other building and disappearing from view. She then observed the walking fashion disaster that was the Akuma guarding the entrance. She was looking herself in the mirror on the back of her hand.

"Now what, Tikki?" She whispered, fidgeting from one toe to another.

 _You have to guess where the Akuma resides. It's often the object which holds more power, but it's not always like that._

"And how do I do that?"

 _By fighting, Marinette._ She giggled. _Now, focus. It's time for Ladybug to appear._

She nodded and stepped out of her hiding, observing the fuchsia guard who had yet to notice her. She leaped forward and let herself fall at the dark alley, landing softly on her toes. She was quite impressed by that, to be honest. It seemed that innate agility came with the whole Superhero package.

Despite her silent entrance, the other noticed her entrance and frowned, getting on guard. "Who the hell are you!?"

"You can call me Ladybug. Now, would you be so kind to step aside, please? I have some errands to run in there."

"Quit dreaming." She raised her right hand dramatically, pointing at her. "I am Reflekta, and I was charged by the task of protecting this door. It's a pity you've seen me, that means I've got to take care of you now. Ugh, what a drag." She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, it can't be helped."

Then, many things happened in the lapse of just two seconds. The pendant on Reflekta's hand began glowing with a bright pink light before shooting a ray to her. Marinette's hand instinctively reached for her yoyo, unbridled it from around her hips and began twirling it in front of her, creating a shield that reflected the ray to the side.

Reflekta looked at her, mouth agape. "How did you do that!? What's with this yoyo!?"

"Good, her Akuma must be in the pendant of her hand." She muttered.

"Quit ignoring me! Oh, you're pissing me off. Prepare to be squished, bug!"

Reflekta dived forward, with a surprising agility despite her high heels. Ladybug stepped aside, avoiding another blast shot at her and jumped beside her, trying to snatch the pendant. Reflekta took notice of her intentions, and she had to bend her body back to avoid yet another shot. Using the inertia of her movement, she stood on her palms and propelled herself backwards, putting space between her and the fashion disaster.

"Okay." She muttered. "I need to think of something. I don't know what that ray does, but I don't want to find out." She jumped to avoid yet another shoot. "Immobilizing her won't help, because she will keep shooting, so I need to distract her somehow."

"What happens, buggy-bug? Are you afraid of little ol' me?" she crackled. "Don't worry, I promise to make you super fabulous, you just have to let me hit you with one of my little rays and you'll look as beautiful as me!"

 _No, thank you very much. My inner designer is crying just because of the possibility._ She huffed as she threw her the lid of a trashcan, which she evaded easily, then shot twice, something Ladybug evaded instinctively.

 _Marinette, remember your Lucky Charm. It will aid you in battle._ Tikki whispered inside her head. Lucky Charm, huh? Let's see how it works out.

She threw her yoyo to the air, and with the cry of Lucky Charm her powers of creation activated. With a light pink light, a new object appeared and fell on her waiting hands. She looked at it with confusion.

"A… torch? What am I supposed to do with a torch?"

In her hands rested a red metallic torch, a pattern of black polka-dots decorating its surface. She looked at the bottom of it, where she found the switch.

A really irritating laugh echoed the dark street. "I was kinda scared, with all these lights and stuff, but I didn't expect a torch to come out of it." She kept laughing, grabbing her stomach. "What are you going to do, _flash_ me?"

She ignored her annoying crackling and thought about it. She looked at the torch, then the distracted Akuma and her hand, and a plan began forming on her head. _That was exactly what I needed._

She began running forward, startling Reflekta. The pink-wearing woman raised her hand immediately, preparing herself to shoot, but Ladybug had already predicted that and wielded her yoyo, throwing it at her and encircling her wrist. With a strong tug to the side, she made her miss her target, and she took her chance to jump and land behind her.

Reflekta began twirling around to face her, but she hadn't expected Ladybug to stand that near, the torch in her hand. She switched it on, and a blinding white light filled the really dark street, the force of it making her take a step back and bringing her hands to cover her hurting eyes.

And that was her biggest mistake, because when Reflekta was blinded and covering her face, Ladybug reached for the pendant and took it out of her hand, making her unable to shoot. Her face contorted in horror when her eyes cleared and saw the red-clad hero throwing the charm to the floor and stepping on it, breaking it.

A dark butterfly came from the broken object, and Ladybug grabbed her yoyo and traced a finger on its surface, opening it. She captured the butterfly mid-air and cleansed it, freeing a white bug instead. She smiled at its retreating form, and even waved goodbye at it. Then, she crouched down and grabbed the repaired object.

A groan startled her and she looked down to the woman lying on the floor. She was wearing dark clothes and had dark hair, but her bangs were dyed with a vibrant purple.

"Are you okay?" Ladybug crouched to help her sit up. The other girl nodded, blinking her eyes.

"I-I think so. Where am I?"

"We're near _Maison Blanche_ metro station. What's your name?"

"J-Juleka." The other girl supplied.

"Nice to meet you, Juleka. Here, I think this is yours." She handed her the pendant and she grabbed it gratefully. "Can you tell me what's the last thing you remember?"

She frowned. "I-I was going to Rose's and took a detour. She told me not to come, she was worried about all those disappearances, but it had been so long since I'd seen her… Then I… I don't know… I-I..."

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's going to be okay." She placed a hand on her shoulder to calm the panicking girl down. She then eyed the hidden entrance and worried her lip. "Do you think you can get to the police by yourself? I still have some matters to attend to."

Juleka nodded. Ladybug helped her on her feet, and when she was sure she didn't feel wobbly anymore, she walked her to the entrance of the metro station. She was about to return to the dead end, but the goth girl called for her.

"Hey, wait! If you don't mind me asking, who are you?"

And anyone who had been standing near the _Maison Blanche_ metro station would have seen the woman wearing a red polka-dotted suit straightening her shoulders and facing the other girl with a determined smile. She opened her mouth, and the last thing she said resonated with conviction.

"I'm Ladybug, and I'm the one who is going to find all those kidnapped people."

She then turned around and ran to the dark alley, leaving a gobsmacked girl behind.

Ladybug looked around, trying to find the opening mechanism for the hidden entrance, without exit. Then, a loud beeping startled her.

"What was that?"

 _Marinette, it's your Miraculous. You've used Lucky Charm, and unfortunately, I can't hold the transformation any longer. I'm sorry, but you have to go._

"But Alya?"

 _We'll come here tomorrow, I promise. But now we're in enemy territory and I don't trust you dropping your transformation here._

"I-I understand." The beeping sounded again, making her flinch. "We're going. Now that we know what happens to the kidnapped people, we can have a fresh start tomorrow.

She grabbed the yoyo clasped to her waist and twirled it, giving it enough force to latch on a lamppost and propel her body out of the empty alley and into the Parisian night.

Some seconds later, a dark figure stepped out of the shadows, jumping down on the street and looking at the direction where Ladybug had left. His wild blond locks swayed with the fresh wind, and his green eyes glowed in the dark.

"Well, that was interesting." Chat Noir grinned. "I can't wait to see what else you've got to offer, Ladybug."

* * *

The light of the moon was the only one that illuminated the dark room. A man was standing in front of a circular windowpane that took up the whole wall, looking at the blinking lights of the city of Paris. A soft knock took him out of his thoughts, but he didn't turn around to answer.

"Come in."

The white doors opened, and the white butterflies in the floor fluttered by, disturbed by the movement. Dark Cupid made his way inside, carrying an unconscious girl with him.

"I have brought another one, sir." He placed her on the floor and crouched, bowing his head.

"Perfect. Now that we've managed to infiltrate the city hall, the operation Akuma is about to start. We need as many assets as possible. You may go, Dark Cupid."

"Yes, sir."

The boy stood up and left, leaving the girl there with the other man. An evil grin broke in his face as he observed her.

"Now for the lady, let's see what we can do for you." He noticed the phone clutched tightly in her hand, despite being unconscious. "I see."

He raised his hand, and one of the butterflies flew to his extended palm. Once it landed on him, he covered it with his other hand and infused his powers on it, the bug acquiring a deep black colour. Once he finished, he freed it from his hands, and the insect flew towards her phone, infecting it.

Dark bubbles covered her body, giving in to a black and white suit, a butterfly-shaped mask covering part of her face.

"Lady Wi-Fi, I am Hawkmoth. I have lent you my powers, but in return, I need you to be under my orders. Help me to rule Paris and overcome anyone that opposes our cause. Now rise!"

The woman opened her eyes at his command, scarlet irises glinting in the dark.

* * *

 **Hey! Thanks for giving this fic a go! This is going to be a long ride (hopefully), so get ready!**

 **This is an AU, they've grown up and Marinette won't know most of her canon classmates (like Juleka). There's going to be an awful lot of battles, how do you feel about that? Please, leave your thoughts in your reviews, and see you soon!**


	2. Your eyes meet mine

**Ch. 2. Your eyes meet mine**

The birds sang chipper in the sunny morning of Paris. Marinette opened her eyes slowly, her still hazy mind wondering why her alarm hadn't rung yet. She blinked twice, watching the soft pink ceiling without interest, when the memories of the day before caught up with her.

She sprung up, making a still sleeping Tikki fly from where she was laying, curled against Marinette's collarbone, and land on the hard floor, startling her awake. Marinette scrambled to her feet, not seeing the tiny red god, and rushed to the living room, grabbing the remote control and switching on the TV, kneeling on the floor. The news were on, and Marinette watched them with wide eyes.

"… _another victim of the serial disappearances has been notified. The victim is Alya Césaire, of 21 years old, and was a student at the Ecole Supérieure de Journalisme. The details of her disappearance are still unknown, but the happenstance has been located in the 13e arrondissement. The police…"_

"So it wasn't a dream…" Marinette muttered, her eyes never leaving the screen, and her hands clutching the remote to her chest.

"I'm afraid it's true, Marinette." A sweet voice called from behind, and the girl turned her head around just to spot Tikki floating nearby. "I'm sorry for letting them escape, I really am. I wish I could do something to change that, but I can't."

She shook her head, swallowing the knot in her throat. "I-It's okay. It wasn't your fault," she sighed, "I just wished things were different, somehow."

She turned her head to the TV again, and was surprised to see a picture of Juleka's face on the screen.

"… _On a better note, one of the victims of the disappearances has been found. Her name is Juleka Couffaine, also 21, and she showed up in a Police Station near Maison Blanche at night. She was unharmed, and she is giving an interview right at this instant. Let's connect to our reporter."_

The face of the newsreader changed to a video clip of Juleka's interview. She was smiling slightly, and Marinette was relieved to know she'd made it to the Police station safely. A short blonde girl was literally attached to the dark haired girl's left arm, looking up at Juleka with stars in her eyes every time she spoke.

" _How are you feeling, Mlle Couffain?"_ One reporter asked.

" _I am feeling well, thank you for asking."_

Another reported raised his hand, and after being given permission to talk, he asked, _"Where have you been all this time, Mlle Couffain?"_

She frowned slightly. _"As I already told the police, I can't remember. All the time I've been away is fuzzy, so it came out as a surprise when that policewoman told me it had been five weeks since I disappeared. I remember being in a dark room, and the next thing I knew was that I was crouching on the floor, and that I was out from whatever I had been held."_

That caused some ruckus in the room, but soon was silenced with the next question.

" _So you suppose you got out by yourself?"_

" _I didn't say that."_ Her expression hardened, a clear example of determination, and her shoulders squared a bit. _"When I regained my senses, I wasn't alone. A woman was standing in front of me, and helped me to stand up. She calmed me down and showed me where the metro station was, asking me to go to the nearest police station. I believe she was the one that rescued me."_

Another reporter spoke up, asking what the audience was wondering about, _"What can you tell us about that woman?"_

" _She was wearing a polka-dotted red and black suit and wore a mask on her face… she looked a bit like a superhero, to be honest. She held herself with confidence, but treated me with care._ " She then looked directly at the camera _. "I hope you're listening, Paris, because she wanted me to tell you something. Her name is Ladybug and she's going to be the one who will bring everyone home."_

The press conference erupted into pandemonium. Reporters were asking questions simultaneously, and Juleka looked around with wide eyes, suddenly flooded with all the attention. The girl perched in Juleka's arm lost her kind look and frowned at them, and the press conference was called to an end.

Marinette turned off the TV and dropped the remote to the floor. "Okay, now I know it definitely happened."

Tikki giggled, landing on Marinette's shoulder. The girl's face fell.

"Did you see her face when she talked about Ladybug? It was shining in admiration. Was she really talking about me? I find it difficult to believe I'm the one who made her feel that confident."

"Marinette, you saved that girl from being Akumatised single-handedly, and gave her strength when she felt the most vulnerable. Of course she admires you. You're a hero, Marinette." Tikki explained, placing a tiny paw on the clenching hands on her lap.

Marinette let out her breath, unclenching her fists and relaxing her fingers. She shot the tiny god a grateful look.

"Thank you, Tikki. I really needed that."

"You're welcome." She flew up and nuzzled her cheek with hers, making her chuckle slightly. "Now, do you have any plans for today?"

She thought about it. "I was planning on returning tonight; see if I can find that entrance again, hopefully without fighting anyone. I wouldn't like to have to drop my transformation before I get some answers."

Tikki looked at her with a worried expression. "You have to be careful, Marinette. You're still new to this, and I don't want you to take unnecessary risks. You're my responsibility after all, Ladybug."

"I know. I'll be careful, I promise."

Just as her words came out of her mouth, her mobile phone began ringing. She rushed to her feet and hurried to her room, searching for the tiny device, which was hidden between her clothes from the night before. She took it out of her blazer's right pocket and answered without looking who was ringing.

"Hullo?"

" _Marinette, honey, it's me,"_ the comforting voice of her mother came from the other side of the line, _"are you okay?"_

"Yeah, I'm alright. Why?"

" _I've heard about what's happened to Alya."_ Marinette winced inwardly. _"And I'm so, so sorry, mon petite chou."_

"Don't… don't worry. I'm okay. Well, as okay as I can be at the moment."

" _Did you see her after she left the Boulangerie?"_

Marinette worried her lip. She couldn't possibly tell her mother about their 'little adventure' at night and how she'd seen the kidnapping taking place. Not only she would be grounded for an eternity for following such a reckless plan (even if she lived all by herself now), but, she thought, glancing at Tikki, she had to keep her identity as Ladybug a secret as well.

"I talked to her last night. She called me when she was out," Marinette said through her teeth. _The best lies are the ones based on truths,_ "that was the last time I heard of her. If I'd known sooner, I'd have stopped her from going out, or gone with her… I don't know, _maman_. Maybe if she hadn't gone by herself last night… maybe that wouldn't have happened."

" _Marinette Dupain-Cheng listen to me very closely, if I hear you're going out at night looking around for her you'll hear from me, understood?"_ Her mother reprimanded her. Marinette flinched at that. _If you only knew, maman. "And don't beat yourself over all those 'what if's. The past is set on stone; we can't change it. Now we can only pray that she makes it home safely."_

"Yeah."

" _Hopefully this Ladybug saves her, just like she did with the other child."_

Marinette choked with her own spit. She coughed, trying to clear her throat. "Y-you heard about Ladybug too, _maman_?"

" _Of course! It's what everyone's talking about here at the Boulangerie. The spotted superhero that has saved Mlle Juleka Couffain. All our customers are speculating about it, on how does she look like, or when she'll appear next."_

"And what do they say?" she asked nonchalantly.

" _Well, there isn't much to go by, only that poor child's testimony," s_ he trailed off, _"but there's something that everyone agrees with; she's reliable. Only one person has seen her face to face, but she has brought hope to all Paris. So I'm sure she'll find Alya and Nino too."_

"Y-yeah, _maman._ Let's hope Ladybug finds them soon."

Something at the other side chimed, and Sabine's next words were rushed. _"Honey, I need to leave now. Your papa needs me at the cashier. Will you be alright? I can drop by and bring you a pot with some Cheng soup; I know how much you like it."_

"I'm okay, _maman_. You don't have to."

" _Call me if you need anything."_

"Yes, _maman_."

" _And you can visit us anytime, you hear me?"_

"Yes, _maman._ " She rolled her eyes at her mother's antics.

" _Okay. Talk to you soon. Love you!"_

"Love you too."

She put an over-chipper voice and hung up before her mother had time to add anything else, lowering the phone to her bent knees. Marinette sighed; she loved her mother to pieces, but she could be a bit overbearing sometimes.

Tikki tapped at her hand and smiled cheekily at her. "So your mother doesn't want you to run around Paris at night so you can find Alya, huh?"

Marinette winced. "You heard that?"

"Yes. Her concern is something natural; her daughter's best friend has disappeared, so she fears something will happen to you too. In her eyes, you're still her little baby. What she doesn't know is that you have me."

"Right. And we can't leave Paris on its own, can we? We've got to purify all the Akumas and return everybody to their families. Paris depends on Ladybug, after all. I can't let them down."

Tikki nodded. "Well said. Now, rest some more. We have a long night ahead of us."

* * *

A woman wearing a red and black polka-dotted suit soared the dark skies of Paris gracefully. She hid in the shadows, looking at her surroundings before leaping from roof to roof, managing to stay unnoticed by the pedestrians at the street.

She landed on the rooftop she'd hidden herself the night before, even though it felt way longer than that. She crouched and looked down at the dark street. It seemed peaceful, but Marinette wasn't fooled by that. There might not be anyone at the entrance right now, but she knew how quickly an opponent could appear.

She narrowed her eyes, looking for the mechanism to open the secret entrance, and her mouth quirked up when she noticed the little indentation at the wall. Looking around, making sure there wasn't anyone nearby, she let herself drop down the street, landing silently on her toes.

She walked towards the switch, on guard, and when she was about to reach the switch she felt it. A little shift of the air in her right.

She threw her body backwards, just to narrowly miss an arrow shot at her direction. With one swift motion, she took out her yoyo and swirled it in front of her protectively, creating a shield.

"Who is it!? Show yourself!"

"So this is the little Ladybug, huh?" Marinette eyes widened when she recognised that voice. Moments later, the Akuma stepped out from behind some crates, confirming her suspicions. It was Dark Cupid.

The one who had taken Alya away.

She smiled wolfishly at him. "Hello, Dark Cupid. Fancy of you to drop by. I wanted to have a word with you."

"Likewise. You are the one who took Reflekta out of commission, right? I was sad to see that you didn't stay for more yesterday; I had a meeting with my boss and I really wanted to relieve some stress afterwards. But now that you're here…" He cracked his fingers, sneering darkly at her. "Now we can have some fun."

Ladybug stopped spinning her yoyo and rested a hand on her hip, her posture oozing cockiness and confidence. "Yet I don't see you making the first move, lover-boy." She secured her grip on her weapon. "Bring it on!"

Dark Cupid brought his hand to his bow and quickly shot three arrows at her direction, Ladybug avoiding them gracefully. She jumped backwards and threw the yoyo to the broken lamppost of the street, propelling herself and swinging around the Akuma, trying to find his Akumatized object while avoiding his attacks.

She untied the yoyo from the lamppost and jumped towards him, but he had to stop her fall with her yoyo as he kept on shooting arrows towards her, and she shielded herself with her weapon. She leaped backwards, thinking on another way to approach him.

"What is it, Ladybug? Don't tell me you were all talk and no action. I overestimated you."

"The fight isn't over yet!" she snarled.

Dark Cupid shot another arrow at her, and she deflected it with her yoyo. Something in his chest glinted, and her eyes were immediately drawn to it. It was a heart-shaped pendant attached to his quiver. It stood out like a sore thumb, and Ladybug smirked. _Bingo._

She retracted her yoyo and threw it at him, but he jumped out of the way and shot at her again, making her retreat. She threw her yoyo to him again, but he avoided it again, and she hit a bucket full of water instead. She winced when it fell, and Dark Cupid moved his wings out of the way so the dirty water didn't hit him.

Marinette noticed that he seemed to have some problems moving on the floor. He seemed to avoid that bucket with all his might, and his huge wings were an annoying obstacle in the narrow street…

His wings…

She threw her yoyo upwards, calling for her Lucky Charm. A bottle of water fell on her hands, the sticker red with black polka-dots. She smiled, a plan already formed on her head.

She shot her yoyo upwards, propelling herself to the air. She landed softly on the nearest rooftop and grinned tauntingly at him.

"Scared of heights, overgrown baby?"

Dark Cupid growled. "I'll show you scared, bug."

He began moving his wings, and his feet lost contact with the floor. She didn't wait for him to catch up and threw her yoyo to another lamppost, swinging to the next road and then the next, avoiding his arrows.

As she'd predicted, Dark Cupid was more agile in the air, something that made her task more difficult. She did a back flip and threw a glace behind, only to see him getting closer. Then, a bright purple outline of a butterfly appeared on his face and he slowed down.

"What is this?" She muttered to herself.

 _It's the way Hawkmoth has to communicate with his underlings,_ Tikki whispered in her mind. _Now it's your chance, Marinette. Put as much space as possible between you two!_

She nodded and threw her yoyo with more strength, grunting when the increased tugging strained her arms. Dark Cupid snapped out of it and snarled.

"Give me your Miraculous, Ladybug! My boss Hawkmoth wants them!"

She threw a look back and taunted him. "And why should I just give them to you? That's not fun at all!"

She avoided yet another arrow and faced forward. Suddenly, her vision changed to black and white, and the park in front of her shone with red and black polka dots. She then looked down and the bottle in her hands shone, then her yoyo.

Yes, this was going to work.

The only problem of heading to the park was that she was getting short of tall objects to propel herself. Feeling him get closer, she made a decision. Taking a great impulse, she flew upwards in a perfect arch. When they were both flying above the central fountain, she turned around in mid-air so she faced him and threw the bottle to him. Once she deemed the bottle was on top of him, with a quick movement of the wrist, she made her yoyo snap forward and hit the bottle, breaking it.

Water fell on Dark Cupid, soaking his wings. The water made the cloth appendages really heavy, destabilizing Dark Cupid's flight. He tried to move them, but the extra weight made them impossible to move, and he ended falling in the middle of the fountain.

Ladybug landed with a roll, standing up when her body had slowed down. She walked to the fountain, never dropping her guard, where Dark Cupid was flailing gracelessly, trying to get his wings out of his way but failing miserably.

It was kinda sad, to be honest.

"I'm sorry, Dark Cupid. The only thing different between you and a bird is the impermeable coating of the wings, I'm afraid." She jumped inside the fountain, walking towards him. "You tried to avoid the water to damp them back at the alley, so I deduced they weren't waterproof. And they are extremely big, big enough to support a big guy like you in the air, so all this cloth must weight a lot when it's wet." She grabbed the pendant attached to his quiver. "I'll be taking this."

She vaulted to the edge of the fountain and dropped the object, stepping on it afterwards. She observed with a soft smile as a dark butterfly came out of the object, and she captured it with her yoyo.

She opened her yoyo, and a white butterfly came from inside. She waved it goodbye. "Bye, bye, little butterfly."

Ladybug then picked up what remained of the broken plastic bottle and threw it to the air. Dozens of ladybugs came from it, enveloping the wet guy and bringing him back to normal. She crouched down and helped him stand up.

She looked at his soaking wet clothes and winced. "Sorry for that. What's your name?"

"Kim. Lê Chiên Kim," he muttered, shivers running through him.

Marinette was about to speak up, but her earrings beeped warningly. "Nice to meet you, Kim, but I can't stay for long. The entrance of the park is that way; do you think you can manage to get to the nearest police station on your own?"

"Y-yeah. I know this place. I live nearby."

"Perfect, but go to the police station first, okay? You were gone for some time." He nodded. "Take care!"

She threw her yoyo to the lamppost and propelled herself to the roof, out of sight of the boy. She prepared herself to vault again, but soft clapping stopped her. She turned around and faced the neighbour building, only to see a figure sitting on the ledge, looking down at her. His belt tail swayed lazily on his side, and his ears seemed to twitch subconsciously.

"Well done, Ladybug," a very familiar voice said with a teasing tone, "I'm impressed."

She recognised that voice immediately. It had been imprinted in her mind the night before. But…

"Chat Noir?" She frowned. It was his voice, yes, but at the same time, he sounded… different.

The boy dropped down at her level and grabbed her hand, bowing and kissing it in the process.

"The very same. At your service, my Lady." He winked, his lips still on her hand.

Ladybug took her hand away from his grasp and grabbed her yoyo, prepared to attack if she deemed it necessary. He put his hands up in surrender, his bright eyes widening, but the smirk never leaving his face.

"Whoa! Relax, LB. I come in peace."

"I saw you talking to Dark Cupid yesterday." He raised an eyebrow, surprised. She glared at him. "So why should I trust you? You're clearly an enemy."

He shrugged. "Fair enough. Yep. You got me. I'm on the dark side, but only because it goes well with my suit." He smirked teasingly and winked at her, but Marinette didn't drop her guard.

He was different from the mental image she'd made of him. From what she'd seen, she'd assumed Chat Noir was a cold person with no capacity of feeling whatsoever, but the man in front of her was the total opposite, with his quirky remarks and flirty demeanour. It was something she wasn't sure if it was good or bad yet. It confused her greatly.

"What do you want, Chat Noir?" she spat, tired of his games.

"I want to play a game with you."

Ladybug raised an eyebrow, silently asking him to elaborate. Chat Noir began pacing in front of her. "You see, being on the dark side doesn't mean I share my boss' ideology. I am quite tired of him, to be honest. I have been planning on kicking his butt for months, but…" he trailed off, and his expression darkened, "never mind. I was looking for someone to help me, and then you suddenly fell from the sky, cleansing two of my boss' pawns in the process. And rather elegantly, may I add."

"So you want to defeat your boss?" she asked sceptical, "why don't you just leave, if he annoys you so?"

His whole expression darkened, and something akin to hurt seemed to shine in those big green eyes of his. He averted his gaze before he spoke up again.

"I can't." The seriousness of his voice made her shiver slightly, but he soon recovered his easy-going personality. "That's why it would be an honour if you help this stray Chat, my Lady."

He seemed genuine. His brain was screaming at her to run away and put as much distance between them as she could, but her heart churned when his cheerful mask slipped off, showing what was behind his obnoxious demeanour.

Something inside her made her want to believe in him, to agree to help him right away, no questions asked. It was something she couldn't comprehend. But putting aside that irrational feeling, but she had to agree with her brain there; there were too many factors that made him shady.

She rested one hand on her hip and stared him dead in the eye. "Say that I accept to play this… game of yours and I start helping you. How would it change my situation from now on? I'll still be cleansing Akumas as usual."

"I would aid you in your battles – secretly, of course. I don't want to be punished-" he stopped himself– "but on the other hand… I wouldn't mind being punished by you." He grinned saucily and she swung her yoyo towards his head. He avoided it, the grin still on place.

"Be serious!" she scolded him.

"I can't help it, my Lady! You distract me." She rolled her eyes. "Where was I? Oh yeah. As you've probably noticed, our organisation uses illegal passages of the Paris' catacombs to move around the city unnoticed. Our costumes tend to be a bit flashy, and our boss doesn't want to attract the attention of the public just yet."

"I hadn't noticed," she said sarcastically, her mind darting back to Reflekta and Dark Cupid. Flashy was putting it mildly.

"So, if you agree to help me, I would also help you make your way around our bases – it's annoyingly difficult to make heads or tails of the multiple corridors, and we don't want little Ladybug to get lost and die. And once you clear all the catacombs…"

"What?"

"I'll tell you where headquarters is."

She pondered her options. "Why don't you tell me just now?"

"It is a… test of sorts. I want to make sure you are capable of facing Hawkmoth, and beating down some goons is hell of a practice, isn't it?"

Ladybug crossed her arms, deep in thought. It would be really good to have someone from the inside helping her around, but what told her that all of this wasn't just a plan to capture her? Dark Cupid said Hawkmoth wanted her Miraculous, so, in extension, Chat Noir could have the same objective.

She didn't want to suspect of him – and boy, didn't that confuse her – but he wasn't putting it easy.

"I don't trust you, Chat Noir," she said, and his mad grin dimmed a little, "I still think all of this is some sort of intricate plan to get me to drop my guard around you, but… your plan makes sense. I will help you, but as soon as I see anything I don't like, I'll leave. Deal?"

"Deal." He bowed. "It will be a pleasure to work with you, my Lady." Her earrings suddenly beeped repetitively in warning, telling her that her transformation was about to drop. "I guess that's your cue to go. See you soon, Ladybug."

She merely raised an eyebrow before throwing her yoyo and swinging off. Once she was out of sight, she rushed home. She had counted the number of beeps her miraculous had made, and she didn't have much time.

When her feet touched the floor of her balcony, the transformation suddenly dropped off, and an exhausted Tikki flew out of her earrings.

"I seriously thought we wouldn't make it," she panted, "but you managed to make it home safely. You've mastered Ladybug's powers in no time. I'm proud of you, Marinette."

She frowned as she opened the door of her balcony. "Never mind me mastering my powers. That was a close call. Why didn't you tell me we were so short of time?"

"I wanted you to talk to Chat noir."

That stopped Marinette in her tracks. She looked down at the tired kwami, lying on her extended hand.

"What do you mean? You wanted me to talk to him?"

She hesitated. "Can we go inside? It's a long story, and I would really like to have a cookie right now."

She nodded and stepped inside her room. She dropped her purse on the pink chaise next to the door, closing it behind her, and brought the tiny god to the table in front of it. Tikki floated from her hands to a little pink cushion extended on the wooden surface, and Marinette went to the kitchen, grabbing the glass jar full of cookies from her parents' _pâtisserie_ , and prepared a mug of hot tea for her.

When the tea was ready, she grabbed the mug and the jar and returned to her room, Tikki watching her with attentive eyes since she stepped inside the room. She thanked her for the cookies and began munching one of them, tiredness quickly leaving her body.

"Are you okay?" Tikki asked after swallowing one bite.

"I guess… It's just- my life was completely normal just yesterday, and suddenly it becomes some kind of superhero story, and I'm still trying to get my head around it. It feels like everything is happening so quickly…"

"I know you're still confused, Marinette, and it's normal for you to feel that way. This is an unusual occurrence; my Ladybugs usually had more time to get used to their powers before they had to face such opponents, and they were never alone. I'm sorry for putting you in this situation, but there's no other way."

She took a sip of her tea. "Ladybug has a partner?"

"Yes, she does." Tikki bit her lip as she saw Marinette nibbling a cookie absentmindedly. "His name is Chat Noir."

Marinette chocked and began coughing. What was with people saying things like that when she was swallowing things down? That were three times in a row!

She reached for her mug to clear her itching throat, and when she calmed her coughing fit, she looked at Tikki disbelievingly.

"C-Chat Noir is my partner!?"

"Yes, he is. He has a kwami like you, and a miraculous." She paused. "There are different kwamis in this world; I am the god of creation, but I am just a half of a whole. The creation is nothing without the destruction; the fortune and the chaos always come together. Plagg, Chat Noir's kwami, is my other half, and he's the god of chaos."

"… Like Ying and Yang?"

Tikki nodded. "Exactly like that, Marinette."

She fidgeted in her seat. "And how does that affect Ladybug and Chat Noir? Will they feel… compelled to trust one another?"

"Yes. I noticed your confusion when we were facing Chat Noir earlier, but don't worry about it. Ladybug and Chat Noir are meant to be together as partners, so there's a residual attachment that comes from Plagg and I. You're meant to be next to each other, not one against the other."

"Then why is he on the bad side? Why is he my enemy?"

Tikki frowned, crossing her tiny arms, and that allowed the dark haired girl to see how worried the kwami really was.

"Something has happened to him. I can't feel Plagg as strongly as I should, and I suspect it has something to do with Hawkmoth. If he infected Chat Noir when in costume, and the butterfly ended up in his ring…"

"What would happen then?"

Tikki raised her gaze and met Marientte's eyes. "Then Plagg would be trapped on his ring. He would be able to protect his boy to some extent, but in the end, he would be at Hawkmoth's mercy. To be honest, I can't determine how much influence he has on the poor boy. Maybe he's overcome him fully, and he's just another puppet, or maybe Chat's true colours shone through tonight."

Marinette worried her lip, thinking on her meeting with the black cat, trying to find something that could clue them on his real state. Something came up to her mind, and the frown on her face deepened at the thought.

"Tikki. He said… he said he would be punished, and I don't think it was a ruse. He tried to hide it with some flirting, but…"

"Then he must be conscious in some way." Tikki landed on her hand. "Marinette, always believe in your instincts. If they say Chat Noir's bearer still holds some self-awareness, then there's a high probability it's true."

"We have to help him, Tikki." She bit her lip. "I still can't trust him fully, but…"

"Don't worry, we'll help him, alongside all the other victims. Hawkmoth won't win."

Marinette nodded, determined. She unblocked her phone, and winced once she saw the time; it was two in the morning.

"God, it's too late, and I have classes tomorrow morning." She groaned, and threw herself to the side, laying on the chaise dramatically. "I will be dead to the world tomorrow."

Tikki shook her head. "If you're worried about your lack of sleep, why don't you go to your bed, instead of keeping on procrastinating?"

Marinette huffed, but got up. She walked to her bedside and grabbed her pyjamas, getting changed. Tikki landed on one of her cushions and made herself comfortable.

"Have you given a thought of what you'll do tomorrow?"

"Yeah," she said, her voice muffled by her cotton T-shirt. She tucked her head out and kept on talking, "Chat Noir has told me some interesting things, but I still want to know what Alya got from her investigation. He promised to tell me where headquarters was, but he didn't say anything about the catacomb entrances they controlled."

"Yeah, you're right. How are you going to go in her apartment, though?"

Marinette climbed to the bed. "I've got the keys. Alya gave them to me when she moved out, and I did the same to her. I actually used them to keep tabs on her these past weeks, when she was engrossed in her investigation."

"Are you going to go to the alley tomorrow night?"

Marinette took her time to answer, curling to her side and looking at the small god. "… Yeah. I can't risk Hawkmoth calling for reinforcements there. Once I have that entrance blocked, I'll take some time to get to the next one."

"Don't overwork yourself, please. Your security is as important as everyone's else."

She caressed her head with her fingertips. "I know. Thanks for worrying about me, Tikki." She stopped herself to yawn. "Well, now I think it's time to go to sleep. Good night."

"Sweet dreams, Marinette."

The girl closed her eyes, finally letting her strained muscles to relax. Her exhaustion caught up with her, and she soon fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: in this AU, some Akumas will have different strength as in the canon. In the series, the Akumas are allowed to be all-out, but in here, they have to stay out of the public eye.**

 **That means that some of them will be somewhat "weaker" than in canon (you'll see it more clearly in next chapter), and that's what will allow Ladybug to defeat them without Chat Noir's help; even though she'll struggle and Chat will have to help her along the way.**

 **Hope you liked this chapter. What are your thoughts on our Chaton's situation? Leave your thoughts at your reviews!**


	3. We're the alley cats

**Ch. 3. We're the alley cats**

The shrill of the phone alarm was the only sound that could be heard inside the room. A big bulge on the queen-sized bed shifted a bit in response, but that was all. Tikki woke up instantly and flew drowsily to the bedside table, landing on the button to switch the alarm off. She rubbed off her eyes, and once she was more aware of herself, she began tugging at Marinette blanket.

Despite her tiny body, she managed to uncover Marinette fully, leaving at plain sight a girl wearing a baggy pink T-shirt and black leggings, curled like a cat and her head hidden under her arms.

"Marinette, wake up."

" _Nooooo…_ " Was the only answer she got from the drowsy girl.

"You're going to be late for class."

The budge that was Marinete grumbled and shifted once again, uncurling her legs and stretching her whole body, reminding Tikki once again of a lazy cat. She blinked drowsily, her bright blue eyes still cloudy from sleep, and one hand reached for her phone, looking at the screen absentmindedly.

That was until she noticed what the time was.

"Gah! I'm going to be late!" she shouted as she sprung up from her bed, taking off her T-shirt in the process. The way she did it, almost as if it was a common occurrence, spoke volumes about her track record of running late in the mornings.

She ran to the kitchen in nothing but her underwear and switched on the boiler, then rushed back again to her room, picking up a baggy white T-shirt and a pink skirt and quickly putting them on, the wide neck of the tee letting one shoulder uncovered. Meanwhile, Tikki retrieved a cookie for herself from the cookie jar, and munched on it while looking at Marinette, torn between being worried or amused by her behaviour.

When the boiler made a 'ding' sound, Marinette retrieved her portfolio and a big black purse full of all the material she needed for her classes, and dropped them unceremoniously on the kitchen table, then quickly began preparing her tea.

"One would assume that by the way you wake up in the mornings you would be a coffee fanatic." Tikki commented, bringing a cookie for the dark haired girl. She accepted it with a distracted thanks.

"I don't really like coffee that much. It's too bitter for me, and it makes me feel fidgety all day. I prefer a nice cup of tea, it's way sweeter." She stirred the hot drink, then took a sip, smiling at the taste. "Yeah, perfect."

"I'm glad you're enjoying your tea, but weren't you running late?"

Her eyes widened and cursed, drowning the drink in four big gulps. She grabbed her bag and the portfolio and quickly left from home, barely remembering to close the door behind her. Tikki zipped to her purse, landing on the makeshift bed Marinette had made her the day before, and tried to avoid the pencil that bounced around, shaking off her exasperation. She had the feeling that was going to become a usual occurrence.

She made it to the main entrance of the IFA Paris on record time, the tall white building almost shining with the early sunrays. She looked at the time and winced – even if she'd made it there in so little time, she was still late.

She walked in, the secretary shifting her eyes from the screen of her computer and shooting her a knowing look. She hugged her portfolio and shrugged her shoulders, trying to make herself seem as little as possible.

She walked fast through the white corridors, not even having time to look to the exposed projects of the week. Well, she noticed the summer dress she'd made displayed on a mannequin on her left, but she didn't have time to swoon for it being chosen. If she didn't arrive on time to her class again, she would be expelled, and her works wouldn't be exposed anymore.

She finally saw the door of her class and turned the knob slowly, trying not to make a sound. She opened the door a bit, eyeing inside, and she was relieved to see that everyone was looking down at their sketchbooks, and her professor was also looking down, reading a book. She sighed in relief – it was the perfect opportunity to sneak in.

Going in silently, she tiptoed to her seat, careful not to make a sound. No one raised their head to look at her, and she was about to seat on her chair when her professor spoke up, not even raising her eyes from her book.

"You're late again, Mlle Dupain-Cheng."

Well, so much for not being noticed.

"I'm sorry, Mme Dubois." she said, looking down.

Mme Dubois nodded. "You can sit down. Ask your classmates what the assignment is about."

"Yes, Mme Dubois."

She sat down with a soft sigh. She had been so close…! Her ears picked up a soft giggle and she looked to the side, noticing how Colette was covering her mouth with a hand, trying to make as little sound as possible. She had her long brunet hair tucked up in a tight French plait, and wore a green dress that matched her eyes perfectly.

"Morning, Marinette. Did you forget to put your alarm today?"

She grimaced. "More like I forgot I had to wake up once it went off." She looked down at the sketch in her hands. "What are we doing today?"

"The topic today is Velvet. We have to sketch clothes that have at least some details in velvet, and we have to be creative about it. Then we're showing our drawings to Mme Dubois at the end of the class." She scrunched her nose. "I hate this material. It's almost as bad as corduroy."

Marinette nodded sympathetically. Corduroy should be forbidden in the fashion industry.

The dark haired girl took out her sketchbook and promptly began brainstorming some ideas. She had the sketch of a skirt and a belt nearly done when Colette spoke again.

"Marinette." She raised her eyes from the paper to look at the other girl, who was frowning down. "I heard about what happened to Alya," she muttered, and turned her head to look at her, "and I want to tell you that if you need to talk, I'm here, okay? I know we've only know each other for five months, but I consider you my friend."

"Thanks, Colette. Let's talk after class, okay?"

The other girl's face lit up and nodded repeatedly, a bright smile on her face. Both girls returned to their work, the time flying once they were focused on their passion, and before they knew it, the ending bell rang. Every student began picking up their belongings, and Colette and Marinette made their way out of class.

"Did you bring anything to eat?" Colette asked. Marinette hit her forehead with the palm of her hand.

"No. I forgot. I guess I'll have to go get something from the cafeteria. Mind if we eat there?"

"Nah, that's cool."

They walked down the corridor, and Colette pointed to her summer dress, a huge smile on her face.

"Marinette! Did you see your dress? It's exposed this week! Congratulations!"

"Thank you. I noticed when I came in, but I didn't have time to really think about it until now." She smiled at it. The soft lime colour of the skirt matched perfectly with the sash. "I'm glad it made it to the exposition; I really liked that dress."

"Yeah, I bet. You have to lend it to me once they give it back to you."

She nodded with a smile. "Done. Did your shirt make it?"

"Nah." She waved it off. "It was probably was too ambitious to do in a week's time. Maybe this week I'll be luckier."

"I'm sure of it. You're really talented, Colette."

Marinette was telling the truth. Colette was an expert of frills and pastel colours, and she'd made real masterpieces since she enrolled her école. Marinette actually had some pieces of clothing Colette had made in her wardrobe.

They both arrived to the cafeteria, and Marinette ordered her usual. They both sat down at the table on the corner of the room and Colette took out the Tupper from her bag.

"So…" Colette began, unsure of how to start.

"Yeah. Alya."

"I'm so sorry, Marinette. First Nino, then my cousin, and now Alya… I know you were worried about her before, but this is so wrong in so many levels…"

"I actually met her the day… you know." She took a bite of pasta, chewing slowly. "She looked better, you know? And when I thought she was going to recover, this happens." She sighed painfully.

Marinette took a sip of water, trying to calm her quivering voice down, and Colette looked to the side absent-minded. "Maybe Ladybug will find them.

It was the third time in a row that Marinette choked. It was getting tiring, really.

"L-ladybug? Have you heard about her, then?" she asked, feigning indifference. Colette retuned the look dumbfounded.

"Who in Paris hasn't heard about her? I mean, she's already found two of the disappeared victims. In two days! Everyone is talking about her; she's even trending topic at Twitter. And you know what?"

"What?"

"Someone actually took a picture of her yesterday!" Marinette froze, but Colette didn't notice, and kept on talking. "I mean, it's a bit hazy, but it's her. Just let me…"

She took out her phone and began looking for the picture. Meanwhile, Marinette was trying to calm down her racing heart. _Breathe, Marinette. She would've said something if she'd recognised you. You're okay. You're okay._

"Here it is!" She turned around her phone so she could she the picture.

The picture was of her… she guessed. To be honest, it was so blurry that it could be a red plastic bag floating because of the night wind, or that the camera was stained with red paint… everything but her.

Marinette let out a sigh of relief. She was unrecognisable there.

"Is that her?" she asked, feigning confusion.

"Yeah. Some people saw her running on some rooftops, and someone managed to take a picture. It's a bit crappy, but it's the first image we have of her. That and with the last victim confirming the existence of Ladybug, we can now affirm we have some kind of vigilante around."

"Does someone know why was she running?"

"No idea." She frowned. "Maybe we'll see more of her."

"Yeah, I suppose."

Marinette was glad no one knew anything about the Akumas yet. She wasn't sure if Paris was prepared to know about the existence of super villains lurking in the shadows, more so if they were in reality their long missing friends and relatives. Some things were better left unknown, at least for a while.

They continued eating, opting to talk about lighter topics. When they finished, Marinette bid her goodbye, saying she had to go to her parents' bakery for her afternoon shift, but she instead made her way to Alya's apartment.

The familiar streets of the 13th arrondissement came into view when Marinette stepped out of the metro station. The fusion between the little shops of Asian style and the Parisian apartments was something that Marinette had always liked of this place.

"This place is beautiful!" Tikki commented from her purse. Marinette grabbed her phone to pretend she was calling someone, and answered her.

"Yeah. Alya lives really close from her _école_ now. It's kind of far from where I live now, though." She stopped at the front door of a building and looked for the keys inside her purse, holding the phone between her shoulder and ear. "She wasn't sure she could afford it, but she managed to get a job at a local newspaper, and with a little help from her mother she can have a place for herself."

She found the keys and fumbled with the lock. Once the main entrance was open, she stepped inside and climbed two floors, stopping at the door on the left.

"How about you?" Tikki asked. "How did you manage to have your apartment?"

She dropped her phone inside the purse, as the pretending wasn't needed anymore, and she opened the door.

"It was from my father's sister. She moved out to Marselle when she got married some years ago, and she lets me use her apartment for a small fee. I work part-time at my parent's bakery, and that's how I can afford my materials and the flat."

She walked inside the hall and turned left for her living room, but stopped abruptly once she saw the state it was in. The vanilla walls were covered with post-it notes, red strings connecting different points of the room seemingly at random. There were some pictures hanging precariously, and even the floor was full of paper.

Marinette stepped in carefully, trying not to ruin the fragile equilibrium of the room, and took everything with wide eyes. She spotted her 'Thinking board', which was where almost all the strings landed, and made her way towards it.

"This is amazing…" Marinette muttered, "and to think that she did all that in a week's time…" She chuckled softly and placed her hand on the board. "It's like you said, Alya. It's full of red strings here, like a cops' series."

Tikki flew out of the purse and looked around. "And all of this information is linked to the Akumas? Impressive. Your friend is very talented."

"She has a good nose for mystery, and it was personal this time." She eyed around once again, frowning when something else occurred to her. "You would think the police would have looked for clues in her apartment, huh?"

"Maybe they realized it was useless after so many victims." Tikki floated in front of the white board and looked at all the pictures of the missing people. "Are those all of them?"

Marinette turned around and looked at them. She saw Nino, Juleka and Kim's faces between them. "Must be. At least, the ones that were reported to the police."

She took notice that almost all of the portraits were linked to red strings, and they parted in different directions. She followed one of them to one wall and read the papers hanging there. Her eyes widened in surprise when she realized just what they said.

"It's… Maison Blanche! It's where the first entrance is!" she said aloud, "it makes sense. She said she'd looked into police records, so she surely knew where they were last seen approximately. Maybe she discovered some of the entrances of the catacombs controlled by Hawkmoth."

She stumbled to her purse and grabbed her sketchbook, turning pages until she found a clean one. She followed the strings again, writing down the encircled places on the maps scattered around.

"The disappearances seemed random, but Alya knew better than that. She noticed most of them happened near from each other, so there had to be a pattern somewhere. Look around; she saw what no one was able to see, and she did all of this alone. She's a genius."

"But what about those ones?" Tikki pointed to where half of the strings ended, and that was on a big question mark on the floor. The paper was crumpled and had many holes on it, almost as if the reporter-to-be had put and removed several thumbtacks.

"They may have happened near enough of headquarters to do the kidnappings directly, in the west area, or maybe there weren't enough testimonies to place the disappearances. I don't know."

When she finished writing down the addresses, she walked once again to the white board. There was a list of all the victims there, and Marinette took it. She read through it, and crossed Juleka's and Kim's names, then placed it between the pages of her sketchbook.

"It'll be nice to have a list of the possible Akumas. Maybe that way we can keep count of how many Akumas are there left." She stopped, then took the page again. She wrote 'Hawkmoth' on it, and after some thinking, she also wrote Chat Noir's name, writing a question mark after it.

"Marinette, look at this." Tikki called from across the room. She went to her side and showed her what she had found. "Look at this drawing. It looks awfully like Dark Cupid."

"I know. Alya showed it to me the day she… well, you know. She had it drawn on her… notebook…" Her eyes widened. "Her notebook!"

Marinette began looking around for the worn-out leather book, under the papers on the floor, on the furniture, even in her room, but there was no sight of it. Marinette sighed defeated.

"What's with her notebook?" Tikki asked.

"She wrote down everything in there. It could've shown us more information that maybe she hadn't put in here yet, but I can't find it anywhere. Although I'm not surprised; she barely let go of it."

"I guess it'll have to do with what we have now," Tikki commented, "it's a good start."

"Yeah…"

And maybe, some part of herself thought, maybe with Chat Noir's help they would be able to sort everything out. There was hoping.

* * *

Ladybug landed once again on the empty alley. She walked forward to where she knew the door switch was and pressed it, opening the door with a soft sound. Looking around, she walked inside, and waited until the door closed behind her.

Luckily, the narrow corridors had a soft illumination, so he didn't need to use her torch. That meant she wouldn't give away her location. She tip-toed her way in, mindful of every sound that she could hear.

The soft dripping of water and her own breathing was the only thing she could hear, and her eyes were soon adapting to the low light, so that's why she flinched when she saw that bright green mark on the wall.

It had been painted recently with fluorescent green paint, and it consisted of a cat paw and an arrow pointing to the left. Ladybug didn't even try to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

"I guess I should turn left. Let's see what we've got here," she muttered.

She followed his directions, showing her the way around the catacombs. _Or leading me to my demise,_ some dark part of herself muttered sarcastically. Just to be sure, she memorized the turns she made.

After what seemed like an eternity, she heard something different. She couldn't tell what it was at first, but as he got slowly closer, she identified what it was.

It was the coo of a pigeon.

"There you are, Riley. Here's your food," a man said nearby.

Ladybug held her breath as she creeped closer to the opening. The coos hadn't interrupted, and she counted to three, her back against the rough wall before leaning to the side and shooting a glance to the room.

What she saw there was… strange, to say the least. There, in the room, was a man in his forties, wearing a tight suit that resembled the plumage of a pigeon, his face beaming as one pigeon was resting on his hand, eating from his other extended hand.

She wasn't expecting to bump into that when she ventured inside.

She must had made a sound in her dumbfounded state, because the pigeon – Riley – shot his head up and looked at the entrance, silent. The Akuma noticed the odd behaviour from his pet and rapidly was put on guard.

"Who is it?!" he shouted.

Not finding a reason to stay hidden anymore, Ladybug let herself be seen, cocking her hip and resting one hand on it, exuding confidence.

"Just a little bug. Don't mind me, I was just passing by. Keep feeding your pet, please."

The villain narrowed his eyes, but instead of being intimidating, it came out being a bit weird. "You're the all so famous Ladybug, are you not? Hawkmoth has warned us about you. You may have defeated my colleagues, but that was because you haven't faced me! Prepare from the wrath of Mr Pigeon."

Ladybug was torn between sighing exasperated and laughing. She shook her head, not letting his ridiculous demeanour make her drop her guard. _Take him seriously,_ Marinette chided herself. _You don't know how powerful he really is!_

"You will see, Ladybug!" He took a strange whistle hanging on his neck and showed it to her proudly. "With this, I will call an army of pigeons that will destroy you! Prepare yourself!"

 _Okay, so the Akumatised object is the whistle._ She catalogued, grabbing her yoyo and straightening her body into a defensive position, ready for the onslaught of the bird flock when Mr Pigeon brought the whistle to his lips.

Riley cooed, throwing himself at her, something that she easily avoided, and the poor thing ran into the wall, falling to the floor gracelessly. Ladybug looked around, waiting for more attacks to come, but after a minute, she dropped her defensive stand, looking around in confusion. The pigeon guy used the whistle again, but nothing happened.

Realisation kicked in in Marinette's mind. "Oh, we're inside the catacombs. The door closed behind me, so I guess that any pigeons could make their way in."

"What?!" Mr Pigeon exclaimed, throwing his hands to his head. "B-but this is preposterous! How am I supposed to call my army of pigeons like this?" He felt to the floor dramatically, resting on his hands and knees, utterly defeated.

Marinette shot an apologetic glance to the villain. She felt kind of bad for spoiling his fun that soon, but duty was duty.

"I'm sorry. I really am. But I'll be needing this." She walked to where he was slumped on the floor and took the whistle from his limp hands.

She snapped the object with her hands and let the Akuma fly freely, capturing the bug with a swift of her yoyo. She cleansed it and let the purified bug fly away.

She looked down at the slumped figure, which was blinking around in surprise. She realized she hadn't made use of her Lucky Charm, so that meant she had more time to spare, and maybe she could find out more about that hiding. But on the other hand, she couldn't possibly leave an unattended victim while she went gallivanting around the dark dungeons.

"W-where am-?"

A deep groan interrupted the scrawny man, and made Ladybug whiplash her head towards the entrance, waiting. They heard the sound again.

"W-w-what was that?" the man asked, cowering.

"I'm going to check it out. Could you stay here for a while?" she asked him.

"W-what if this thing comes for me?"

"Then you just shout, and I'll come for you, okay?"

She turned around to go, but the man scrambled to his feet and stopped her before she could leave. "What should I call you?"

She turned her head back and smiled reassuringly at him. "Ladybug's fine. Stay here, please. I'll come back soon."

She left the room, praying that the man actually followed her advice. She followed the sound, trying to memorize the turns she was making, but soon saw the familiar green marks on the walls, so she followed them. They'd lead her to Mr Pigeon before, maybe they would lead to whatever that was making that sound.

Then she caught a whiff of food. It was making stronger the closer she got to the noise, until she had the feeling she was in a kitchen instead of in a dark corridor. When she saw the last green paw pointing at another room, she took a peek inside.

It looked like someone had reconditioned the catacombs and transformed it to a full-equipped kitchen. The floor was white, and the metal counters shone with the artificial light. She counted four fridges and two freezers in total, but despite all the equipment, the room still had space for four tables with their respective chairs.

And the room wasn't empty. A broad man was facing the stoves, stirring the contents of a huge pot. The man reminded her of one of the cartoons from those Chinese stories her mother used to read to her at bed, and he was wearing a torn orange kimono and a cooking hat.

"Do not try to hide, Ladybug. I know you are there," he spoke up, without looking at her. Ladybug startled, but then stepped in.

"I guess this makes it easier. Hi, am I interrupting something?"

"No, you are not." He turned around, and focused his yellow eyes on her. "In fact, you have come just in time to try my new soup."

He raised his arms, and the liquid on the pot began to boil. When the Akuma clenched his fist, the soup shot upwards, then rapidly slithering to her direction. She jumped on top of a counter, avoiding the first tackle of the animated soup, but the liquid snake came back at her, and she was forced to do a backflip.

"Did anyone told you it's rude to play with food?" she barked.

The snake came again from behind, taking her off guard, and she was thrown off-balance. The snake took this chance to wrap itself around the red-clad superhero, soaking her through. Despite being just liquid, its grip on her tightened, making her unable to move. She tried to wiggle herself out, but it was fruitless.

"There is a bug in my soup," the Akuma said with dry humour, "let's remove it, shall we? I have a customer that would love to have those earrings of yours."

He stepped slowly to her direction, reaching for her face, or most concretely, her earrings. She leaned her head back, trying to make it harder to snatch them, but she had so little room for movement that she couldn't do much. His hand was just centimetres apart from the object of his desire, but…

A metal object flew into the room, hitting the Akuma in the head before flying back to the kitchen's exit, almost as if it was a boomerang. The Akuma stumbled and lost his concentration, the soup falling lifeless to the floor. Ladybug, free from her restrains, shot herself backwards and put some distance between them, panting in relief.

That was close.

"You ruined my soup!" the Akuma cried, "no one does that to Kung Food. Now…" He extended his arms again, and all the fridges opened. "Now meet your demise!"

Food began flying to all directions, but Ladybug was prepared this time. She deflected with her yoyo all the projectiles, advancing slowly towards the Akuma, but when she got close to him, he took out two sausage ropes and began swinging them around in a style similar to hers with her yoyo, something that made her retreat. It was time for plan B.

"Lucky Charm!" She threw her yoyo up and pink light flashed inside the room. When it faded out, a fire extinguisher fell to her unprepared hands, and she had to double over because of the unexpected weigh.

She looked around and her vision fell into the already familiar black and white vision, but she had to stifle a gasp when everything blinked with red and black polka dots.

"What's that even supposed to mean?!" she exclaimed, looking at the charm in desperation.

Around her, the projectiles began speeding up, and with her hands full, they were starting to hit her, making her hiss in pain. Looking down, she made a rash decision, and took out the safety pin off the extinguisher and grabbed it from the handle and pressing up. White smoke came from the nozzle that soon covered the room, hiding the superhero and the Akuma from sight.

"Where is she?!" Kung Food exclaimed, looking around frantically.

He began swirling his sausage ropes to clear out the smoke, something that made her place the villain in the room. Using the little gas remaining on the extinguisher, she pointed the nozzle down and opened it, the force of the smoke making her shoot upwards, making a perfect arch to Kung Food, who realized too late what was coming for him.

In mid-air, Ladybug looked at the Akuma, looking for the Akumatised object. _Bag or hat?_ Making a wild guess, she aimed for the hat, ripping it out from Kung Food's head. Before he could turn around, she ripped the cloth, and the smoke had cleared enough in the room for the Akuma to be seen in the sea of white.

She captured the second Akuma of the day and cleansed it. Then, throwing the empty fire extinguisher to the air, she actioned the Miraculous Cure, and the whole room filled with ladybugs, clearing the mess created by the Akuma.

She looked down at the victim, and Ladybug couldn't help but gasp.

"But you're-!"

It was her uncle! What the hell was he doing in there? He had paid her family a visit months ago; he was supposed to be in China, not in the catacombs! He must had been kidnapped before he could get to the airport, the poor man.

"Can you stand?" She crouched down and put a hand on his back, helping the man to crouch.

"Yes. I can."

Ladybug helped him to get his footing, and let go of him when he felt less dizzy. He looked around.

"Where...?"

She caught on what he was trying to ask. "We're at the Catacombs. Follow me, I'll lead you to the exit."

The stoic man nodded mutely, and followed the superhero as she walked back to the room where she'd left the other man waiting, her mind pondering over her recent battle with Kung Food. Someone had helped her when she had been restrained by that soup, and she had a feeling she knew who it was.

She checked out the dark corridors while leading her uncle around, hoping to see the cat boy. She wasn't sure what she would tell him once she found him, but she kept on looking for those two green orbs that seemed to glow even at dark.

The first room she'd bumped into quickly came into view, and she could heard the nervous pacing of the man inside, along with his soft muttering. She made her presence known by stepping in the room. The former Mr Pigeon raised his head, and the relief was clear in his face.

"Ladybug! Thank goodness, you've come back. I heard something causing a ruckus out there, and I was fearing something might've happened to you."

"Yeah, that was partially my fault. But everything's alright now. Are you ready to go?"

" _Please._ I am tired of this place already."

The two men followed behind the suited girl, and they soon stepped out of the underground tunnels. Some movement caught her eye and she looked up, just to see two green irises disappear in the dark.

Her earrings beeped in warning.

"You two need to go to the police. Do you know where is it placed?" The two men looked at each other, and Ladybug sighed at their lost expression. "I'll guide you, but you'll have to hurry. I don't have much time left."

Ladybug fell in a light stroll, the two men following her without complaints. She tried to stay as hidden as possible, but it was a difficult task to do on the streets; despite the hour, there were still people around, and her suit was too noticeable. She missed moving around Paris with the roofs' shelter.

The police station came into view in record time, and she ushered the two men inside. They waved at her, and she returned the wave before picking up her yoyo and throwing it to the nearest hold, rushing away.

Before she could fled, though, she saw the flash of a camera, and when she looked down, a girl had a mobile phone on her hands, and its camera was pointed at her.

 _Crap._

* * *

Gabriel Agreste was a man known for being stoic in all situations, even the direst ones. Being one of the most successful designers of Paris, the man usually kept a neutral face both in his professional and personal life; and only those that knew him dearly could identify the slight changes on his facial expression that showed what he was really feeling.

And there were currently only two people in the world who would be able to pinpoint the tension he was feeling at the moment.

He pushed his glasses up with a finger, making them rest on their proper place while his other hand clenched in a fist, his eyes not leaving the newspaper currently lying on the gothic table, or, to be more specific, the picture of the first page. He felt the need to snarl.

The door closed behind him and he turned around, facing the Mayor Bourgeois. He took a cloth napkin from his pocket and dried his forehead with it. M. Agreste resisted the urge to scrunch up his nose in disgust.

"Did the press conference go well?" he asked instead, his voice monotone.

The mayor sighed, "as good as it can go. Everyone is asking me about this Ladybug, and they can't seem to understand that I'm just as clueless as them." He crossed his arms and grumbled.

"It's understandable that they ask questions, M. Bourgeois. Every inhabitant in Paris is feeling antsy about the whole situation; people has been disappearing since the beginning of the year, and not even the Mayor's daughter was free from it."

The other man's shoulders slumped. "Don't remind me. I miss my little Chloe with all my heart. I was a wreck when I found out she had disappeared to; I don't know what I would have been of me if you hadn't come in my aid, my friend."

"It was my pleasure, M. Bourgeois."

He chuckled lightly. "You know you can call me André, Gabriel. I think we've already left the formalities two months ago.

The man walked to his desk and looked down at the newspaper, reading the headlines with contemplation.

"What do you think of Ladybug, Gabriel?"

He paused for a moment before answering. "I think that it's still too soon to give you a verdict about it. She appeared for the first time only three days ago, after all."

"I guess you're right." He sighed, and his face contorted, holding back tears. "I… I just want my baby girl back."

"I know. I would do anything for Adrien too," he commented. Despite his tender remark, his voice stayed as icy as always.

A knock at the door interrupted them, and both men turned to the door in time to see the Mayor's secretary come in.

"M. Bourgeois, your next appointment begins in fifteen minutes. The car is awaiting you."

The man nodded. "Thank you. I will be leaving in a moment, could you please give me a minute?"

The woman nodded and closed the door again, giving them some privacy. The Mayor faced M. Agreste with a grimace.

"You heard her, I've got to go. Will you be attending to the Chenton gala on Wednesday?"

"Of course."

"Perfect. Now, if you excuse me, duty calls. I've got to calm down the Minister of Defence."

Mayor Bourgeois left, but Gabriel stayed for a while at the office, looking out of the window. After his daughter's disappearance, the only thing that had kept André from crumbling down had been the constant support of the designer, and their meetings had become so common that anyone questioned him whenever he made his way around the city hall.

Gabriel found the Major's company bearable at the best of times. But it wasn't his company what Gabriel Agreste sought, but connections. The closer he was from the power, the easier it would be to overthrow it.

Befriending the Mayor had been a simple accomplishment. Taking his chance after the _convenient_ kidnapping of her daughter, escalating positions had been way too easy, becoming M. Bourgeois confidante. Everything was coming around as he had planned it.

That was before that Ladybug appeared. She had already cleansed four of his agents, and was close to dismantling one of his bases. It wasn't one he cared about much, after all, he had another base in that arrondissement, but he needed to finish that meddlesome child before she became a real problem.

The guardian of _Chemin de fer_ wasn't capable enough. He would be a powerful ally if he didn't let himself be ruled by his emotions so much. He was unpredictable, and he didn't like to take any chances, so he destined Agent 7 to aid him. He would be more than capable of squishing that bug.

He smirked darkly, cruelty marring his face, but no one was looking at his way.

* * *

 **A/N: longer chapter because I couldn't resist to explain more of my daughter's civilian life.**

 **I feel kinda bad for pigeon guy. He's a good guy, he really is. But of course Chat would want to get rid of him fast, that's why he lead LB to him first.**


	4. Walking me across a fragile line

**Ch. 4. Walking me across a fragile line**

"It's ridiculous!"

Tikki raised her eyes from the cookie in her hands and looked at Marinette, who still had her eyes stubbornly glued to the phone. She was sitting on the floor and her arms were hugging her knees, her feet crossed.

"If by ridiculous you mean the way you're gazing the phone, almost as if it had kicked your puppy, then yes, it is."

"I don't get it, Tikki. Yesterday a girl took a picture of me. As Ladybug. My face is clearly visible, and despite the mask, it's clearly me!" She tugged at her messy plaits. "Why hasn't anyone called me yet? The picture is trending topic in Europe! I am Trending Topic in Europe, Tikki!" Marinette shrieked.

Tikki sighed. "No one is going to recognise you when you're transformed into Ladybug. You could give whole interviews as the spotted superhero and no one would make the connection, unless you literally say you are Marinette Dupain-Cheng." She paused. "Well, maybe if you drop some hints here and there someone may be able to catch up, but it's unlikely. Not even Jeanne d'Arc was caught, and she wasn't what we call discreet."

"Jeanne d'Arc was Ladybug!?" Marinette exclaimed.

"Yeah." Tikki's eyes glazed over. "And she was impressive. A real fighter. She maintained a straight face even the day she… well, that's a story for other time."

Marinette used her feet to close over the tiny god. "But I had no idea there had been other Ladybugs before."

"Exactly! It's the power of the Miraculous, Marinette. It will protect you from getting any unnecessary attention, so you will be safe in your civilian self." Her eyes hardened. "That doesn't mean you have green light to be reckless about it, you hear me? Even the tiniest of details can be the downfall of the strongest ones. Remember Achilles and his heel," she mumbled afterwards, "and he was such a good Chat Noir too…"

"What?" Marinette asked, not catching the last part of it.

"What I'm trying to say is that you have to focus on your mission of cleansing the Akumas, and I'll protect your identity with all my power. Once you're in the suit, no one will make a connection between Paris superhero and the designing student. I promise."

Marinette made a deep sigh and allowed her limbs to untangle. She laid down at her bed again, her gaze lost on the figures the shadows made on her ceiling.

"Don't you have class today?" Tikki asked.

Marinette shook her head. "Not until the afternoon. I only have a two-hour class on Tuesdays."

"Then get some rest. I have the feeling that it's going to be a hard day."

* * *

Ladybug was back once again to the dark corridors underneath the city of Paris. Her breath echoed on the walls, and somewhere near water dripped to the floor, the sound being too loud for her tastes. The air was stuffy but cool.

She could hear soft scribbling echoing the dark halls, and she followed the noise, always checking for those green marks scorching the walls. Then, in one of the most pronounced turns, she glimpsed the already familiar green paw glowing in the dark. Her eyes trailed down to a sticky note hidden between two stones of the irregular wall, and she picked it up.

She unfolded it, rolling her eyes at the obvious cat shape and got closer to the mark at the wall, trying to read the black ink on the paper.

'Be careful, my Lady. –CN'

She turned the paper around, trying to find any other clues written down, but that was all. She supressed the urge to roll her eyes again and continued left.

Despite the lack of information, she took his warning at heart. If Chat Noir had taken a risk in warning her, even though someone else could've found the sticky note, then it meant it was serious.

She squared her shoulders, ready for whatever was waiting for her, and walked in the room.

There was a boy in the room, sitting in a king-sized bed, if she judged correctly. His bright red hair clashed with the black and white colours of his suit, making it much more noticeable, and his gaze was locked in the tablet on his right arm, where he was drawing absentmindedly.

Around him, a disparity of objects were lying around. Balloons of all colours were swaying with an inexistent breeze. A cat plush that reminded her of the one she had in her chaise, but longer, was curled around him. And in the table in front of him was a bonsai with scissors cutting its leaves on their own, and a living owl wearing a spacesuit that tried to peck the leaves of the little tree, but the helmet was in the way.

She blinked in surprise. He didn't seem dangerous at all. Weird, yes, but dangerous?

Suddenly, she heard a loud pop sound and a compass as big as a Doberman appeared beside the bed, hitting the floor with a metallic sound when it fell to the floor.

… Okay. She may be starting to see why he was dangerous, after all.

But, even as absentminded as he was, he was bound to see someone wearing a bright red suit standing in the doorway, and his eyes trained on her. No one said anything for a while, but finally, it was him who opened his mouth first.

"Oh. Hello…" Was he… was he blushing?

The boy averted his gaze to the side, his cheeks and ears soon getting the same shade of red as his hair.

Oh god, he was definitely blushing.

"Hi." Ladybug said, and cringed at how awkward this whole situation was. "I'm Ladybug."

"I know!" he exclaimed, suddenly excited, "I've seen you fight with my colleagues these days, it was amazing! It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I-I'm… I'm a big fan."

Okay, that was definitely the strangest thing that had happened to her since she'd become Ladybug, and she had fought against a pigeon.

But that made it easier, didn't it? He seemed eager to talk to her, by the way he was bouncing slightly in his seat, or the way his eyes kept on shifting to her. It was a great opportunity to learn more about the organisation and all the Akuma possession process. Maybe she could try to convince him to give her the Akumatised object?

 _Don't drop your guard, Marinette._ Tikki reminded her mentally. _Even though he seems nice, remember that Akumatised victims are volatile. His behaviour could turn upside down in a bat of an eye._

She nodded faintly, and smiled at the boy. He looked starstruck.

"I believe I didn't get your name…?" she asked, smiling and cocking her head.

"O-oh, right, sorry. My name is Evillustrator," he spluttered, "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise." She nodded to the bed. "Mind if I take a sit?"

"Of course not!" He patted the surface beside him and Ladybug sat down, with her legs crossed in a seemingly relaxed pose, but all her muscles were tensed, ready for every possible outcome.

He began scribbling down on his tablet, drawing musical notes, and Ladybug watched in fascination as those very notes began floating and forming a sweet melody. She smiled at the endearing sight.

"So I was wondering… what's it like to be an Akuma?" she asked after a while.

He looked up, but his fingers never stopped drawing. "Uh? Oh, it's pretty neat, really. I love doing all this stuff."

"Do you remember anything of when you were human?"

He frowned, and the grip on his pencil tightened. "I don't like to talk about it."

She tensed, but threw him a reassuring smile. "Why?"

"I prefer being who I am now. The boy I was before was so plain, so invisible you wouldn't have noticed him, even if he'd shouted on the top of his lungs." He paused, and his eyes glazed. "There was this girl, though. This amazing girl. She went with him at school, and she was the only one who noticed him. She talked to him, and didn't make fun of his drawings."

She frowned. Something in the story was oddly familiar.

The Evillustrator kept on talking, a soft smile in his lips. "He lost contact with her after Lycée, but one day, he went to visit his cousin Colette to her new academy and there she was. As radiant as always, wearing an adorable thick pink jumper and black leggings. And, to his luck, she was friends with Colette, so he had an excuse to see her."

Marinette's mouth opened with his words, but he was too absorbed in his own reminiscence to notice. _Oh god…_ she though. _H-he's Nathaniel._ She had no idea he was feeling that way.

"…But then, everything went awry."

He stopped talking then. Her frown deepened. "What happened?"

"There was this stupid reunion at Christmas eve with all our class from back the Collège. Everyone looked more grown-up, sure, but everything was the same. And there she was, at the centre of the crowd, and everything around her just… sparkled. When he saw her there in her satin dress he decided it was the time to confess, and he would've done it… if it wasn't for Chloe."

His words filled her with dread. She'd been one of the favourite victims of Chloe's bullying throughout the years, and she knew how cruel the blonde could be. She could see where this was going already.

The Evillustrator draw a dart boardwith a picture of Chloe in the centre. A dart materialized in his hand and he threw it. He hit the bull's eye.

"Chloe was wearing a yellow puffed dress that wasn't half an eyesore. She was strangely alone, because Sabrina had been taken by Hawkmoth too, and she looked very, _very_ irritated. She didn't have her personal punching bag, so she latched to the next victim, in this case poor Nathaniel."

"What did she say to y- him?" she muttered.

"It's not worth remembering, believe me. It was rather pathetic. Either way, Nathaniel ran with the tail between his legs from the ballroom, and that was the day I was born."

"I'm sorry," Ladybug said beside him. The Evillustrator turned his head to look at her in confusion.

"Why? It doesn't matter now, because I'm not that guy anymore. I am stronger, powerful, and all thanks to Hawkmoth."

That was her chance to discover more things about the organisation. She would need to tiptoe on the subjects, let him talk, and try not to aggravate him any further.

"So… Hawkmoth, right? Who is he?" She feigned ignorance.

"Oh, he's the one who created me! I've only seen him once, when I opened my eyes for the first time, but I can hear his voice sometimes. He uses our connection to see what we're up to and to give us orders. Have you seen the butterfly mask we get sometimes?" She nodded. "That is him, seeing what we see, and hearing what we hear."

"So he can connect with you anytime he wants?" He nodded in response. "Then, if he connects with you and sees you talking with me, won't you get in trouble?"

His face flushed, and Ladybug could've sworn she heard him muttering something like 'worried about me'. He then shook his head. "Don't worry, he won't come. I can't feel him today, so we're free from his control for now."

"Control?"

"Yeah. He…" His gaze obscured, and he swallowed down the lump in his throat. "The first week I was transformed, I went into a rebel phase. I didn't understand why I should be closed up, and I tried with all my might to escape. But that clashed with Hawkmoth's interest." He looked down at his hands. "It was as if something mudded my mind, and my hand began moving on its own. I still hear his voice sometimes, as cold as ice, whispering in my ear. 'Behave if you still want to be yourself'. So I obey."

Her face contorted in revulsion. "But that's horrible! Why do let him subdue you?"

He shrugged. "I get freedom this way."

"You call this freedom? You're enclosed in this maze, unable to go out, alone-"

"You think I don't know that!?" His fists clenched, and Ladybug recoiled at his tone of voice. He took some calming breaths. "It's better than the alternative. I'm still me." He turned his head to the side. "I am just a soldier; I know my place. I am not like Agent Zero."

Something in that name rang a bell in her head. She ran through her memories, trying to pinpoint exactly where she had heard that name before. Her eyes widened when it struck her.

"Chat Noir."

He looked back at her. "You've heard of him, I see. I hope you don't bump into him, Ladybug."

She frowned in confusion. "And why is that?"

"He's not one of us. He has the power to destroy everything he touches, and he loves chaos. He doesn't care whether you're an ally or an enemy; he will do whatever he pleases. He's powerful, scheming and cruel. I don't like him."

Her instant reaction was to deny everything he said about the cat boy, ant that made her stop. Despite both of them being allies, there was no guarantee he was going to stick to his part of the deal. She shouldn't trust him as much as she did.

That scared her a bit, to be honest.

Putting a neutral expression, she answered. "I can take care of myself."

"Not against him. He must be Akumatised like us, but he has a power greater than every one of us. I fear for the day he decides he's had enough screwing with us."

She opened her mouth to answer, but a loud crashing sound interrupted her. She looked around, frowning when she saw dust coming from one of the walls. With another loud crash, the concrete bended and cracked, not strong enough to hold back the amazing force coming from the other side of the wall.

"Take cover!" she shouted to the Evillustrator, and proceeded to jump behind the bed.

The wall took its fatal blow and finally broke, the dust filling the whole room. They heard some steps on the now gritty floor. Ladybug peeked from the top of the bed, but the white dust made it impossible to see what was in front of her.

Suddenly, they heard a sound akin to a vacuum, and the air cleared enough to let her see what had caused the entire ruckus. It was a really tall man with purple face and a black and white suit. His arms were arched, as if he was holding something invisible in them.

It kind of reminded her of a mime.

"Oh no…" she whined, "not a mime…"

His gaze locked on where she was hiding and threw the invisible vacuum to the floor. He then made some movements and threw something at her. The bed began breaking in two, and she was forced to leap backwards to avoid… whatever was coming her way. She took a defensive stand.

"YOU!" the Evillustrator raged, "what business do you have in my domain, Mime!?"

The Mime regarded him with a fleeting look, then threw something at her once again. The wall cracked at the impact. She tried touching the indentation, and found the invisible object in her way. She grabbed what could be a helve and pulled, taking the object with her, and her arms buckled at the sudden weight of it.

But when the Mime reached for his side and unsheathed an invisible sword, the object in her hands disappeared. She looked down in confusion, and looked up again in time to avoid the downward swing of the blade. She grabbed her yoyo and twisted it around the blade, but it fell loose when he took yet another sword from his side.

She retreated, but he followed him avidly, striking once, twice, three times, and Ladybug could only defend herself at the frantic attacks. However, the next attack didn't come, as a shiny sabre had stopped the blade from going down. She looked in confusion at the Evillustrator, whose gaze was fixated on the frowning mime.

"How dare you destroy my room!? On top of that, how dare you attack Ladybug in my own lair!? You have no business here! Return to Hawkmoth, you mindless dog!"

The Mime's eyes narrowed and the blade in his hands ceased to exist, tilting his body to the side to avoid the Evillustrator's. His eyes darted at her again as he began miming something on the floor, and suddenly a torrent of water came out of it and began filling the room. A black plug appeared on it, stopping the flood, and she could see the Evillustrator making a drain materialize on the floor, draining the water of the room.

"Don't worry, Ladybug. I'll take him out," the Evillustrator said, drawing a spinning saw. He threw it at his direction, but the Mime avoided it.

The Mime finally focused on the other Akuma, and mimed a bazooka on his hands. A movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she turned her head from the fight. The plug the artist had used to stop the water was suddenly rolling free, but no water was coming out of it. Then's when it hit her.

"He can just mime one thing at a time!"

"Correct."

A familiar voice nearby made her turn around. Chat Noir was leaning on the room's threshold, looking as cheeky and cocky as ever. He did a two-finger salute, throwing a flirty grin at her way.

"Good night, my Lady. Fancy meeting you here."

He was going to play that way, wasn't he? Well, two could play that game.

"I was just passing by," she said teasingly. She then took out the folded note. "However, I didn't expect to bump into you today. Why bother leaving a note if you were coming anyway?"

In two long strides, he was beside her, and both kept on talking while watching the two Akuma fight.

"It came to my ears." His cat ears wiggled at that. Ladybug threw them a curious glance. "That Hawkmoth had sent the Mime here today to catch you. I wanted to come before, but had this… mission this evening, and I wasn't sure I could come in time, so I left the sticky note to warn you," as an afterthought, he added, "I didn't want you to confront him on your own. I guess I didn't need to worry, eh?"

"Thank you for the warning, then."

He leaned forward, his arms at the back and a cocky grin in his lips. "You're welcome, Bugginette."

She threw him a dirty look. " _Bugginette?"_

"You don't like it?"

"No," she deadpanned.

"What about ma Coccinelle?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"… Or Lovebug."

"… I'm going to hit you."

"You mean hit _on_ me, my Lady." Her hand reached instantly to her yoyo, and Chat Noir raised his hands in defeat. He didn't stop smirking, though. "Okay, okay! I'll stop."

Her hand relaxed, and so did he. He then nodded at the battle in front of them. "So… how did you manage to get little Evi to help you? Should I be jealous?" He wiggled his eyebrows at that.

She shrugged. "He's a… fan, or so it seems."

"Mmm definitely jealous." He paused, deep in thought. "There's only a tiny problem here. You know there's a hierarchy at the organisation, right?" She nodded. "The catacombs are guarded by the… foot soldiers, the ones strong enough to deal with civilians, but not strong enough to fight off a Miraculous wielder. Those are the lowest in the hierarchy. You get me so far?"

"So when you said Dark Cupid was Agent 24…"

"Yes. He was a goon, and rather bad at his job, to be honest." He then threw an amused glance at her. "… You were snooping that night, huh? Bad girl."

"Shut up." She glared at him.

"Make me." He teased, but at her growing glare, he relented. "Anyway. Each entrance to the catacombs has a leader of higher ranking, someone who can get the job done when things go awry for the lower goons. Like Bowser's castle at the end of every stage in Super Mario." He nodded at the Evillustrator, who was throwing spinning saws at the Mime. "He's one of them. He was assigned to be Agent 12."

Ladybug looked at the other Akuma, who had conjured an invisible wall in front of him, making the saws bounce off. "What about the Mime?"

"He belongs to Headquarters, and only the higher rankings work in there. He's Agent 7."

Just as those words fell from his mouth, the mime managed to strike the Evillustrator with one of his attacks, making him fall on his back. He sat up again, and cleaned with a sleeve the blood coming out of his cut lip.

"We've got to help him then!" She marched forward, but Chat grabbed her arm, pulling her back. The Akumas resumed their fight. She glared at him and shook his arm off. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

"Wait, my Lady. Let them solve their… differences alone. We're not going to interrupt a pride fight, are we?"

She stared at him in annoyance. "I do wonder what the real reason why you stopped me is. I believe it's more the fact that you love chaos than that 'pride' thing."

"Well, I do love some little chaos now and then, but that's all thanks to my kwami." That comment made her forget her irritation and shot him a startled look. "Don't feign you didn't feel him. But the thing is, I promised you I'd protect you, and that's what I'm trying to do now. I get it that you have to cleanse those Akumas, but to rush headfirst into a fight were you'll be outnumbered? No, thank you."

She was surprised to see that the care in his voice was genuine, and that left her a bit out of breath. She then remembered what had happened the day before, and she felt compelled to ask.

"So with Kung Food… That was…"

"Me, yeah. I promised I'd help you, didn't I?"

"Yeah… yes, you did."

He threw her an amused look, and the serious atmosphere disappeared in an instant. "Although I didn't expect you to fight off two Akumas in one day."

She made a crooked smile. "I wasn't going to let a transformation go to waste, now would I?"

"Of course not, my Lady. That would have been _catastrophic._ " His right ear twitched suddenly, and he turned his head to the fight. "But I hope you're ready for another fight. This one is about to end."

It was as he said. The Evillustrator had taken quite a beating and was breathing shallowly, while the Mime barely seemed out of breath. After two breaths, the artist's eyes rolled out and fell to the floor with a loud thud, unconscious.

The Mime turned to face her, and his eyes widened when he was who was standing beside her.

"Well, it seems I'll have to get my claws dirty. Ready to fight, my Lady?"

He took the metallic baton from his back and extended it, falling in a fighting stance. She unclasped her yoyo from her hips and began twirling it.

"Ready." She threw him a cautious glance. "Won't you get punished for helping me?"

The Mime chose that moment to attack them, and they both leaped away, avoiding the attack. Ladybug could already feel the adrenalin singing in her blood, the invigorating rush of energy making her moves smoother and precise. Chat barked a laugh.

"Boss isn't in town today! So, if we cleanse Mime, who will tell him this cat helped at all?"

She smirked with confidence. "Let's get to work, then."

It felt easy, fighting with him. Their moves coordinated unconsciously, following a dance far older than either of them. When she attacked, he blocked any attacks coming their way, and when she retreated, he attacked, not letting the Akuma have a respite.

Chat Noir blocked on strong blow coming their way, and he laughed in joy. "God, haven't I missed fighting!"

His cheerful demeanour was catchy. Marinette found herself enjoying the rhythm they had fallen into as much as him, and she had to do her best not to giggle giddy every time the Mime lost ground. It had never been so easy to fight.

But soon, the tables began to turn. The Mime seemed to start regaining his strength, already overcome whatever had made him weaker before. His hits were more precise, stronger, faster, and he began switching weapons here and there, making him unpredictable.

When he mimed a wall and made it fall on them, it took a lot of strength for the both of them to avoid being crushed. When Chat was about to use his baton as a support, the Mime mimed another object, and the sudden disappearance of the wall made them topple back due to inertia.

Things suddenly didn't look too good for the two of them. It was time to change strategies. Maybe with a Lucky charm…

"Chat!" Ladybug called. "We should-!"

Suddenly, a grand piano appeared on the Akuma and fell with force, making a sound of keys being smashed at the same time. The Mime wasn't expecting it, so he didn't have time to dodge; he was crushed by the instrument, and the hit knocked him out instantly. His bowler hat rolled to their feet.

They heard a cough, and turning around they saw the Evillustrator trying to sit down, shaking his head to clear it.

"Well, one down." Chat quipped. He then bowed theatrically at her. "If you may."

She glanced down at the hat and picked it up, considering the object in her hands. She then eyed Chat's claws.

"Could you…?"

"Say no more."

She threw the bowler hat at him, and he caught it with ease. With his sharp claws, he shredded the sturdy material to ribbons, and a black butterfly came from it. She quickly prepared her yoyo for cleansing it and captured the Akuma swiftly, cleansing it in mere seconds. She let the now purified insect fly away, and she caught Chat's poorly concealed awe.

Once she ended the cleansing, she looked around at the room. Well, what remained of it. Everything was in shambles – the Evillustrator's colourful creations had turned into paint splotches on the ground, and the walls were full of cracks and holes.

Ladibug helped the now civilian out of the piano wreck, but he was still unconscious, and she carried him to the bed to let him rest there. She then saw the Evillustrator's slumped form at the floor and she rushed to aid him, but Chat stopped her. She threw him a questioning glance, but before he could speak up, the Evillustrator did.

"You… you've teamed up with _him?_ After all I've told you, after all he's done, and you're with _him_!?"

"What? Who?"

"He means me," Chat clarified.

"Oh. Wait! That's not-!"

"You're helping him get rid of all of us! Are you working for him? Are you doing willingly? I thought you cared for me, that I was different, but you just used me! YOU JUST WANT TO DESTROY US ALL!"

She rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming. "This won't change no matter I say, will it?"

"It doesn't seem likely," Chat said, bouncing off in his soles.

She glared at him. "You're not helping."

He shrugged.

The Evillustrator began standing up and cleaned his bloodied lip with his sleeve. His face was contorted in fury, and his inviting eyes were now icy and throwing daggers at both of them. His hand reached for the tablet attached to his right arm.

"You'll regret using me, Ladybug."

Two spinning saws appeared on both sides of him and shot forward, directed at both of them. They jumped to avoid the spinning weapons, but the Evillustrator retailed, throwing dozens of shurikens at them.

It soon became a dance, where the Evillustrator threw things at them, they avoided them and tried to get closer, but had to retreat some steps back, as the Akuma kept on drawing flying weapons, never engaging a close combat.

However, it seemed that the Evillustrator was getting tired, as the frequency of his drawings was dropping, but, when they were in mid-jump, he instead drew an abysm around them, leaving only a stand of more or less 3 metres square for them to land on. She managed to land on the platform, but Chat misstepped, and she had to grab him from the tail so he didn't fall to the void.

When he got his footing, Chat took his tail out of her grasp and caressed it. "Me-ouch! Did you have to be so rough with my poor tail?"

"You're welcome, you know. For saving your life, I mean," she deadpanned.

On the other side of the void, the Evillustrator laughed. "I can't wait to see how you two avoid my weapons in that tiny platform!"

Chat and Ladybug stood side by side, preparing themselves for the next wave of attacks. When the Evillustrator drew another set of flying saws, Chat jumped and hammered his baton in the middle hole of one of them, the saw spinning around it until it lost force and fell to the floor; while Ladybug threw her body backwards, the spinning weapon nearly trimming her bangs.

She pushed herself up with her hands, standing once again beside Chat, who took the baton out of the ground.

"Any ideas?" he asked just as the Akuma threw knives at them. Both instantly began spinning their weapons in front of them, creating a shield in front of them and deflecting the knives.

"He seems to avoid close combat at all cost, maybe he's really bad at it. So if one of us managed to get to him, it might distract him to the point where he forgets the other one, then we snatch his Akumatised object."

"Which is?"

Ladybug eyed the Evillustrator's hand, which was working furiously on his tablet as objects didn't cease to appear around him. "The pen. Must be."

He nodded. "Okay. Now, my Lady, watch closely."

He took some steps back, the heels of his boots millimetres from the fall. She looked at him questioningly, but he only threw her a wink before rushing forward, his hand reaching for his baton and extending it. Just as he was about to reach the edge, he planted the baton on the floor and used it like a pole, making a vault that many Olympics would grit their teeth with envy.

Marinette's heart was at his mouth until she saw him landing on the other side of the void, even having the nerve to bow at her playfully. The stupid cat.

However, his teasing smirk wiped out of his face as he ducked to avoid the lash of a sabre coming his way. He looked up, just to see

"Did you think I was defenceless, Chat Noir? I still have some tricks up my sleeve."

"So that's how it is, huh?" Chat extended his baton and wielded it like a sword. "Then, by all means, _allez!_ "

Chat stepped down hard, making a loud sound with his foot before he lurched forward with the ease that came with practice, baton in hand, as he lunged on the Evillustrator. The magical sabre managed to parry the blow, and Chat came closer to it, just to retreat to avoid the kick coming his way.

He grinned. "Don't you know that corps-à-corps is illegal in sabre bouts?"

Another sabre appeared, and both swords twirled in the air. "Everything's fair in love and war, Chat Noir, and this is certainly war."

As their weapons clashed again, Ladybug decided it was time to step up their game. Throwing her yoyo to the air, she called for her Lucky Charm, pink lights filling the wrecked room. She waited patiently for the object to fall, and when it did, she had to bend over because of the sudden weigh.

"A brick? What's with Lucky Charm giving me heavy objects?"

Her vision turned black and white, and the charm flashed in red and black. Then, her weapon flashed, and finally the fluorescent lights hanging on the ceiling. A plan was already forming in her mind, but she still needed something. What was it…?

"Everything alright?" Chat asked, and when she turned to him, his eyes blinked in the familiar spotted pattern.

Ladybug felt a smirk coming to her lips as the world turned into the usual colours. "Now it is. Hey, Chat Noir, do you know if cats are able to see in the dark?"

His eyes glinted, having caught up on her plan, and returned the smirk.

"They can see in the dark just fine."

"Perfect. Now get ready!"

She tied the brick to the yoyo, testing that it was secured enough. The Evillustrator, suspicious of their acts, tried to draw another projectile to throw at her, but Chat's insistence made him focus on the battle, his teeth gritted. She twirled the yoyo just as she would do while she created a shield, the trajectory of it a bit wonky until it had enough speed.

When the brick had enough speed, she focused until she got the perfect angle and then let go of the string. The brick was thrown to the right at great speed, the only force that stopped him from escaping the spin being her grip on the string. However, before it hit the wall, she grabbed the string again, the brick returning to the turning trajectory but with a wider radius and a strength enough to smash all the fluorescent lights of the room.

The room was pitch black.

"Gah! What is going on!" the Evillustrator shouted, "I can't draw without light!"

"But this cat can see just fine."

Coming from behind, Chat Noir grabbed the pen clutched in the Akuma's left hand, and easily avoided the desperate grab coming his way. Then, he jumped to where Ladybug was standing, her eyes shifting side to side, clearly looking for him despite the fact she didn't see anything. He grabbed her hand, but instead of placing the Akumatised object on her palm, he turned it around and kissed her knuckles.

"Chat, be serious," she growled.

"Sorry, sorry. Here you have it."

He handed her the pen and she proceeded to snap it in two. A butterfly came out of it, its wings glowing with a dark purple light, and when Ladybug opened her yoyo, soft light filled the room seconds before capturing the insect.

"Gotcha!" She touched the surface and it opened again, letting the now white butterfly free. " _Au revoir_ , little butterfly."

Suddenly, a strong noise filled the room, like two stones grinding one against the other. She looked around, and cursed at the darkness of the room.

"What was that!?"

Chat looked around, his eyes wide. "The walls are about to collapse! My lady, I suggest you do something, I don't want to become a cat pudding."

"Right!" She grabbed the brickand threw it to the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Millions of ladybugs scattered around the room, leaving it as it was before. Nathaniel groaned at the floor and rested his weight on the palms of his hands, looking around in confusion. The other man was still out cold.

Chat went to the bed and picked up the former Mime, carrying him on his shoulder. His longs limbs dangled around, and she wasn't sure how Chat managed not to trip with them.

"We should go now, my Lady." He eyed her earrings. The first spot had already disappeared. "Before your luck runs out."

"Right."

She helped Nathaniel out of the catacombs, Chat following silently behind her. He sometimes threw in some directions, and in the matter of two minutes they were out of the stifling place.

The man groaned in Chat's shoulder then, and he let him get his footing. Her earrings beeped again.

"Okay, do you think you could help him get some medical attention?" She asked Nathaniel. He nodded mutely. "Good. I have to take care of some things and I don't have much time. Will you two be okay on your own?"

"Y-yeah," he stuttered.

"Perfect!"

She helped to adjust the arm of the still dizzy man around the redhead, and to get used to the extra weight. Once she was sure he could take care of it, she stepped back and waved them goodbye, a small smile on her lips. There was nothing like a job well done.

"Cataclysm!"

Ladybug turned around startled by Chat Noir's cry, just to see his right hand embed with dark bubbles before he placed it on the entrance.

It was like a fulminant infection. The concrete against his palm became brown and fragile, and it soon followed the rest of the wall. She could hear ugly cracking just before the wall collapsed, raising a dust cloud that filled the whole alley.

She coughed to clear her throat, and glared at the cat, who was still facing the now ruined entrance.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

He turned around. He was unnaturally serious. "There's no one else in this base, and I'm making sure nobody else uses it again.

"But I needed that entrance!"

"I told you, my Lady. These catacombs are a labyrinth; you won't find your way around down there. I prefer you try to find the other entrances, rather than trying your luck down here."

"I'm pretty lucky." She crossed her arms, daring him to say otherwise.

"Even all the luck of the world won't save you in there. Many people have gone mad after being an hour in there. I don't want you facing this." Her earring beeped again. She was down to two dots. "You should go… before the cat gets out of the bag."

Ladybug was suddenly reminded of the Evillustrator's words, and she wondered if this was just another scheme of his. Everything he did sprung a conflict between her reason and her instincts, and she was getting tired of this.

But, another part of her mind argued, he hadn't done anything threatening to her, not yet, at least. Tikki had asked her to trust in her instincts. Well, she could do that at least.

She stepped back, and she was sure Chat Noir noticed she had let it go. Her shoulders relaxed and turned around, getting ready to leave the place. She threw her yoyo, and it latched into a lamppost, but before letting his body go up, she turned her head.

"So a hierarchy, huh? Then, if you're Agent Zero, what does this say about you?"

He threw her a secretive smile. "Good night, Ladybug."

She let the tug of the string raise her, and she disappeared in the night sky, leaving behind the other man. She landed on her balcony at the same time her earrings beeped their last warning, and she let the transformation drop, catching Tikki before she stumbled to the floor.

She carried the kwami inside and placed her in the pillow of her chaise. She gave her a cookie and took one for herself, and she reached for the documents she'd borrowed from Alya's apartment, giving them a read over. She nibbled the cookie absentmindedly.

She stopped at the list of the reported victims, crossing Nathaniel's name from it. She tapped the pen to her lips, scanning the names.

"I didn't get the Mime's real name."

Tikki swallowed. "I'm sure it'll be said on the news tomorrow, Marinette."

"True." She turned the page.

"So, where are we going next?"

She thought it over, looking at the information she'd gathered. "I've been considering two options of all of them. There's one which Alya had more information about. It's the closer of the two, too, so I think I can visit it as a civilian before venturing in there completely blind. What do you think?"

Tikki crossed her arms and cocked her head slightly to the side. "It's a good idea. However, you'll have to make sure you don't rise anyone's suspicions. We don't want them attacking Marinette, now do we?"

"Yeah…"

Tikki finished her cookie and floated to Marinette's thighs, landing softly on them. Marinette cocked the sheets down to let her read what was written on them too. Her big eyes darted around the page.

"So, which one is it?"

Marinette encircled the address. "We're going to _Jardin du Luxembourg_."

* * *

 **No tomatoes were harmed in the writing of this chapter. Any resemblance to reality is a mere coincidence.**


	5. A boy lives behind bricks

**Ch. 5. A boy lives behind bricks**

The soft patters of the rain against the windowpane was the only sound that could be heard in the darkened room. The lights were turned off, and the only source of brightness came from the cloudy skies outside.

There was a young man in the room curled against the window and looking outside. His blond hair was styled perfectly, even though he had let his fingers run loose through his locks once or twice in frustration. His designer clothes, brand new from his last photoshoot, were a bit rumpled for the boy's position, but still suited him all the same. His forehead rested against the glass, savouring the coolness of outside.

The day was an accurate representation of what he felt currently; grey, gloomy and cold.

It had been a hard day for Adrien. Despite all his begging and pleading, after all those years, he still had to fulfil the role of the perfect son and model for his father's brand. That day's photoshoot had been exhausting, and despite still being 21, he felt he was growing way too old for this. He was tired to stand outlandish photographers and their dubious requests, and snobby models that were interested in money and influence.

There were hundreds, no, thousands of people with way more ambition than him in the fashion world, people who really wanted to be in his place. But there he was, being the main face of the Agreste brand once again, even though he was practically giving away his position.

When _that day_ happened, some part of himself thought that that was going to be it. That, despite being a slave as Chat Noir, he would be free as Adrien; that he would finally stop modelling, but he was being too naïve. Why would _he_ give away the control he had on Adrien, now that he could really control every aspect of his life?

That was what he'd always wanted, after all.

He had enjoyed it while it lasted, being Chat Noir. It had felt exhilarating, his trump card when being just Adrien felt too unbearable to deal with. He enjoyed finding every possible way he could sneak out, trying every excuse to explain his absences… but, in the end, he had been careless and, of course, _he_ had found out.

The worst part of it was that he hadn't only lost his well-deserved freedom, no. He'd lost a friend, too. A very good friend.

Adrien raised his right hand, looking at the ring resting in his ring finger. It looked just like the first time he saw it, inside that wooden box with red Chinese inscriptions all over it. Despite wearing with it for more than a year, the black steel looked polished and new, and the green paw in the middle still shone with intensity. Seeing it like this in his bare hand, instead of being silver and subtle, made him feel sick.

He really missed Plagg. He was annoying at first, with all his whining and those sarcastic remarks, but he'd been a good friend. He'd listened when he'd needed it, and he'd been there in every one of his father rejections, or when his mother's loss had been too strong to bear with, when he'd felt so utterly alone that his chest hurt with every breath he took.

But he wasn't there anymore. Well, he was in a sense, Adrien thought, looking at the ring, but he really wasn't. He was sealed in that forsaken ring, and all because of him. Because Adrien hadn't been careful enough. It was all his fault.

Now he was yet another puppet on Hawkmoth's scheme, and a darker part of himself thought that it served him right.

He hated every aspect of it. He couldn't free Plagg from his confinement, and he didn't know who to ask for help. He couldn't even remove the ring from his finger, just twist it so the green paw wasn't too noticeable.

The ring, once the representation of his freedom, was now a sign of Hawkmoth's ownership of Adrien. He couldn't control him completely, he knew that, but he could try. Even if his power was scattered in all his puppets, he still could force him to transform, and even though he couldn't make him obey his every command, Adrien knew better than disobey him. He'd already experienced what happened otherwise one too many times.

However, he still tried to find ways of misbehaving without him noticing. Despite having spies in every corner of the city, Adrien knew how to get around unnoticed. Midnight strolls, leisure trips, civilian protection, you name it.

His newest bet was on the spotted vigilante, and he had to admit she had style. With her down-to-business but charming behaviour, she already had the city in her pocket, and she was really talented in what she did. No one would be able to say she was new to Akuma cleansing.

But even though Ladybug did her best, it still wasn't enough. He felt the walls of his room closing on him bit by bit, Hawkmoth's ties on him getting tighter as his plan was near completion. Not even Ladybug had managed to stray him from his original scheme yet, and they were running out of time.

He needed to get out. To put as much distance as possible between that rotten reality and himself. Calling for those bittersweet words, he let the green energy of his transformation envelop him, his once stylish clothes turning into black sleek material similar to leather. He felt the weight of his cat ears on the top of his hair, and the extra balance that brought his belt tail. His sight acquired that slightly green hue that came with his night vision.

He mutely opened the window and jumped outside, not bothering to get cover for the rain. He'd been lucky his father had already left to the Chenton gala when he came from the photoshoot, or else he'd have needed to attend too.

That meant Hawkmoth wouldn't be controlling Chat Noir either.

Chat Noir jumped from roof to roof, putting as much distance as possible between that house and himself. However, what usually felt liberating, it felt stifling instead, in that rainy afternoon. It was bright enough for Chat to have to hide in the shadows of the city, and it got tiring quickly. That wasn't helping. That wasn't what he needed.

He let himself drop to a dark alley, deserted because of the rain, and let his transformation drop. He felt yet another pang of guilt and sorrow when he didn't hear a high-pitched grumble of complaint about unnecessary transformations and a need of cheese.

He adjusted the hood of his black Agreste sweater and stepped out to a slightly busier street, not caring really much if someone recognized him.

With the amount of people outside, he really doubted it.

He felt the rain slowly drench the shoulders of the cotton sweater, but he really didn't care that much, to be honest. The pressure in his chest was still there, a constant reminder of how fucked up his life was, and the cold rain felt numbing, but it didn't quell his aching heart.

Adrien had to recognize that the rain had been the best hiding spot. No one noticed the boy with the dark hoodie, no one spared him a thought, and it felt both liberating and kind of lonely at the same time. Two parts of him clashed one against the other, one only wanting solace, and the other yearning for a hand to hold.

He wandered around the city for what felt like hours. The rain never stopped. It was starting to get dark when his strides stopped in front of a park's entrance, the place giving Adrien a strange feeling of _deja-vu_ , even though he was quite sure he had never been there before.

He walked in, his raging thoughts quieting a bit as he breathed in the smell of petrichor and pure nature, an out of place combination here, in one of the biggest cities of Europe. He caught a glimpse of a kid's playground and headed that way, suddenly filled with bittersweet memories.

He sat down in one of the swings, not bothered if they were wet, (he was already soaked through, anyway), and let himself sway slightly, memories of his childhood with his mother coming to mind.

She used to love swings. When he was a kid, she loved to take him to the park in their spare time, a sweet escape from the stiffness of their home. They would sit side by side, cheering and laughing, and compete on who got higher than the other, not caring if other children, or adults, for that matter, watched. She would usually win, but that didn't annoy him, because the victory tasted sweeter that way. He'd always loved a challenge.

People would look disapprovingly at the laughing pair, but they didn't care.

She also taught him to jump in mid-swing, to wait for just the perfect moment to leap, and to use the inertia to fly as far as possible. She'd always caught him before he fell, until he learned to land, knees bended and muscles ready to start running again.

It was kind of funny, Adrien thought, that the tricks his mother taught him when he was little would come in handy when he became Chat Noir. All the jumps, twirls, tricks that were characteristic of the black cat, all were because of her.

He looked up to the sky and let the rain fall freely to his face, letting the tiny drops was away every dark thought spiralling in his clouded mind. He felt the hood fall back, and the rain fell directly to his hair, washing away the uncomfortable hairspray and dampening his blond locks.

He closed his eyes, and let his head fall down again. He was tired, so very tired.

But then, the rain stopped falling on him.

He didn't notice at first, how deep he was in his own thoughts, but he did after a while. He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a pair of red rain boots, followed by legs wearing dark tight jeans. A hand, soft and delicate-looking, was holding an umbrella in front of him, and he looked up to see just who this hand belonged to.

And the sight took his breath away.

Midnight hair that seemed to have a blue glow surrounded a heart-shaped face, her skin was pale and her rosy cheeks were peppered with light brown freckles. Her lower lip was fuller than the top one, and they were the prettiest of pinks he'd ever seen.

But nothing compared to her eyes. A blue so deep he could drown in them, slightly almond-shaped and surrounded by black long lashes. He could see a myriad of emotions swimming in those bright eyes, and he felt bare and open to her gaze. Strangely, that didn't scare him; instead, he felt a wave of calmness coming his way, and the knot that had been in his chest since that morning eased.

She didn't say anything at first, just looked at him. Her hand, the one that wasn't holding the umbrella, reached for him, and he felt her fingertips clearing the stuck locks on his forehead. The touch was soft and warm, and he resisted the urge to close his eyes and lean on.

She crouched down and her hand trailed down to his shoulder, which she gave a light squeeze. Her lips, which had been initially pursed, crooked up, giving him a smile that sped up the beating of his heart.

"Everything'll be alright in the end. You'll see."

And the strangest thing of all was that he believed her.

Her hand grabbed one of his, and placed it on the handle of the umbrella. She then reached for the hood of her pink jacket and stepped out of the rain, leaving Adrien with the umbrella, utterly gobsmacked.

He watched her walk away, his energy drained, and minutes after she was no longer in his line of sight, he stood up of the swing and left the park, his steps suddenly lighter, and a smile threatening to break into his face. It didn't seem so hard to breathe anymore.

Later that night, Chat Noir appeared again for his midnight patrol. There was no Ladybug in sight, and he let his thoughts fly back to that afternoon. The rain had stopped in his way home, and her umbrella was safely kept in his room, a reminder that their encounter had really happened.

Chat couldn't understand how she'd been able to calm him down with a single look. He should be afraid of the power a mere stranger had on him, but it somehow felt _right_.

Because that was what she was, wasn't it? A stranger. Someone he didn't recall seeing at all in all those years he'd been living in Paris, and someone he would be foolish to think he'd bump into again soon, even at all.

Fate was cruel that way. It showed him what he didn't know he'd been yearning for, but he had no way of knowing where to find her. He didn't have the best of lucks after all, so instead of bringing hope, it left him raw and shuddering, feeling like he didn't have a hand on his destiny. It didn't matter if it was a god, multiple of them or the butterfly effect what ruled the cause-effect of the world, all of those left him feeling like he was yet another puppet. First his father, then fate itself.

Nevertheless, fate had a quirky nature, and loved tricks, gimmicks and, most importantly, coincidences. Because of the 2.273.305 inhabitants of Paris, destiny wanted Chat Noir to turn left, heading for the outskirts of the city. Because, when he reached the limit between the 10th and 19th arrondissement, he suddenly had the urge to slow down, his initial quick strides turning into a lazy stroll.

His eyes decided to notice a still light-up room, a strange occurrence after midnight, and, somehow, he felt curiosity nagging him from the inside, asking him to lean a bit closer, to learn more about the person that was up so late.

And it was all a play of fate. Because, as fate had leaded him there, fate had wanted her to be delayed on her project so much that she needed to work on it later than usual, leaving the lights of the room on and the windows wide open, just enough to give a stray cat the spark of curiosity he needed to stop and watch.

And just like that, a twist of fate had brought him to her.

His eyes absorbed her laidback posture, her hands navigating gracefully through the waves of fabric on her lap. Her eyes, still as blue as he remembered, focused on the stitching her nimble fingers did, giving form to a previous shapeless cloth.

He couldn't believe he'd found her that quickly. He thanked his lucky stars for the gift, and stared at her enraptured as she kept on going. She never noticed him, but he didn't mind; she was a creature of light, but he had to remain dancing in the shadows. But that was alright, because that was where she belonged.

He stayed until she turned off her lights, and when he took off, he looked back, vowing himself to protect the little world she lived in. She had saved him of himself, so he could do as much in return.


End file.
